Fred Geary (23 January 1868 – 8 January 1955) was an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played at
centre forward for
Everton in the 1890s, and made two appearances for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, scoring a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on his debut.
At Everton, he was a prolific goal-scorer, with 86 goals in 99 appearances,
helping them to win the
Football League championship for the first time in
1890–91. He was "the first Everton centre-forward to capture the imagination of their supporters"
and "in his era he was as important to Everton as
Dixie Dean was some years later".
Football career
Early days
Geary was born at
Hyson Green
Hyson Green is a neighbourhood in Nottingham, England. It is home to a variety of cultures with a thriving local economy. Hyson Green has the largest ethnic minority population in the city. Since 2006 Hyson Green has seen a larger rise in devel ...
, on the outskirts of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
. As a boy he won many sprinting titles on the athletics track,
and was to use this speed to great effect during his football career. He played youth football for local side
Balmoral before joining
Notts Rangers
Notts Rangers Football Club was an England, English association football, football club, founded in 1868 under the name Nottingham St James. They became Nottingham Rangers in 1880 and by 1886 were habitually referred to as Notts Rangers.
History ...
. After spells with
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...
and
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
, he returned to Notts Rangers in 1888, where he played in front of future England internationals
Alf and
Charles Shelton.
Everton had tried to sign him earlier, and eventually persuaded Geary to move to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
in 1889.
Everton
Everton had finished in a disappointing eighth position in
the inaugural Football League season, having scored only 35 goals and the directors "were determined to improve upon their indifferent performances", especially in front of the goal, by recruiting Geary, along with Scotsman
Alex Latta (from
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990.
Dumbarton was the ca ...
) and Welshman
Charlie Parry (from
Chester St Oswalds). Geary had first been spotted at Grimsby Town, but had moved back to Notts Rangers before he was persuaded to join Everton.
Geary was described as "small and powerful",
standing at barely and weighing . He relied on his pace and acceleration to get away from defenders and, according to the
Liverpool Echo
The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liver ...
, "his team-mates complained that he was sometimes too quick, leaving the ball or his strike partners behind with his turbo-charged bursts".
Geary made his
Football League debut for Everton on 7 September 1889 at home (then at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
) to
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
and scored twice in a 3–2 victory. He soon began to form a prolific scoring partnership with Latta, well supported by
Edgar Chadwick and
Alf Milward, and later in the season by
Alexander Brady. Geary scored regularly throughout the season, including a hat-trick in an 8–0 demolition of
Stoke City on 4 November. He ended
the season with 21 league goals in 18 matches, as Everton finished runners-up, two points behind
Preston North End. Geary had also scored four
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
goals, including a hat-trick in an 11–2 victory over
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
on 18 January (with three goals also from Milward and Brady). This remains
Everton's highest margin of victory in any competition.
On 15 March 1890, Geary was called up by the
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
selectors to play against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in the
1890 British Home Championship
Year 189 ( CLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silanus and Silanus (or, less frequently, year 942 ''Ab urbe c ...
. England also played against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
on the same day, and the selectors picked a mainly amateur team to play at
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
(winning 3–1), while the players selected for the match against the Irish at
Ballynafeigh Park
The Ulster Cricket Ground in Ballynafeigh Park was a sports venue in Ballynafeigh, Belfast. Opened in 1879, it was the home ground of both Ulster Cricket Club and Ulster F.C. During the 1880s, it also hosted several Irish Cup finals and Ireland i ...
,
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
were mainly professional, including five players from
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. England easily overcame the Irish by a 9–1 margin, with Geary scoring a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
, and a pair each from
William Townley
William James Townley (14 February 1866 – 30 May 1950) was an English football player and coach.
He scored the first hat-trick in the history of the FA Cup final, but his lasting legacy is defined as an important pioneer of the game in Ger ...
and
Kenny Davenport
James Kenyon "Kenny" Davenport (23 March 1862 – 27 September 1908) was an English international footballer who played as an inside right.
Career
Born in the Deane area of Bolton, Davenport played for Bolton Wanderers, after joining them ...
. The Irish goal was scored by
Jack Reynolds, who later played for England. According to
Cris Freddi
Cris is a familiar form of the names Christopher, Cristian, Chris, Cristina.
Cris may also refer to:
Places
* Criș, the Romanian name for the river Körös in Hungary
* Criș (Târnava Mare), a tributary of the Târnava Mare in Mureș County, ...
, "a (not altogether coherent) match report in ''The Field'' credits Geary with four goals, and a (very confused) summary in ''The Athletic News'' maintains that 'the clever little Everton centre was responsible for five of the goals, and beauties they were'." Despite the margin of victory, the England selectors did not use any of the team that defeated the Irish for the next match against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, preferring the team that had played against Wales. The match against Scotland was a 1–1 draw, and, thus, England and Scotland shared the 1890 British Home Championship title.
Geary started the
1890–91 season in superb form, scoring in each of the first six matches as Everton started the season with five straight victories. By mid-January, Everton had completed all but one of their fixtures and were on 29 points, while
Preston North End were eleven points adrift with seven games still to play. Everton than had to sit out the next two months as Preston completed their fixture list until they were only two points adrift with one match each left to play. Both teams played their final games of the season on 14 March, with Everton losing 3–2 at
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
(Geary scored both Everton goals) and Preston going down 3–0 at
Sunderland. Everton were thus able to win the Football League Championship for the first time, by a margin of two points with fourteen victories from their 22 league games. Geary had been ever-present, and was the club's top goal-scorer with 21 goals.
Geary earned his second (and last) England cap for the match against Scotland on 6 April 1891. Although the match was played at
Ewood Park,
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
, not one
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
player was selected, with the selectors opting for four players from Everton's championship winning team, with Geary lining up alongside
Edgar Chadwick and
Alf Milward (with
Johnny Holt in defence). In a close game, England managed to hold on to a 2–1 victory with goals from
John Goodall
John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903. He ...
(
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
) and Chadwick.
Geary started the
1891–92 season well, with four goals from the first five games until injury put him out of action for several months, with
Alan Maxwell taking his place. Geary was able to return for the last five games of the season, scoring twice more as Everton ended the season in fifth place.
In the summer of 1892, Everton move out of their original home at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
after
John Houlding
John Houlding ( – 17 March 1902) was an English businessman, most notable for being Lord Mayor of Liverpool, and the founder of Liverpool Football Club. In November 2018, Houlding was commemorated with a bronze bust outside Anfield to mark th ...
, the leaseholder of the stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton, who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...
. Geary scored the first goal at the new stadium in a friendly against
Bolton Wanderers to celebrate the opening.
The first league game at Goodison Park took place on 3 September 1892 with
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
supplying the opposition. The game ended in a 2–2 draw with the honour of scoring the first competitive goal at Goodison going to Forest's
Horace Pike, with the first Everton goal coming from Geary. The team's first league victory at their new ground came in the next home game when they crushed
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883.
Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial R ...
6–0, with Geary and Chadwick each scoring twice.
Geary failed to score for the next six games, before he and
Alex Latta each scored hat-tricks in a 6–1 victory over
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
on 5 November. Geary ended the league season as the club's top scorer (for the third time in four seasons) with 19 goals from 24 league appearances, as Everton finished third in
the league table. Geary played in the first three matches of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
run, scoring four goals before a leg injury resulted in him missing the
semi-final against
Preston North End. Everton eventually defeated Preston after a second replay to set up a final against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
. Although Geary was now fit, he was not picked for the
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
to be played at
Fallowfield
Fallowfield is a suburb of Manchester, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 15,211. Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east–west by Wilmslow Road and north–south by Wil ...
, Manchester on 25 March, with Alan Maxwell retaining his place at centre-forward. Wolves won the match with a goal from their captain,
Harry Allen, as the Everton forwards were unable to break down Wolves' defence.
Injury prevented Geary making an appearance at the start of the
1893–94 season, and he lost his place at centre-forward to
Jack Southworth who had arrived from
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
during the summer. Geary's first game of the season was against
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
on 25 November 1893, when he scored in a 4–3 victory. He retained his place for the next two matches, before Southworth returned to the side. Geary completed the season having played only nine matches, scoring eight goals. The season ended with Everton in a disappointing sixth place, with Southworth top scorer in the Football League with a tally of 27 goals from just 22 games.
Injury again kept Geary out of the team until January 1895, and he was only able to make eight appearances with four goals in his final season at Goodison Park. His final appearance came on 13 April 1895, when he scored in a 2–3 defeat to
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
. In his Everton career, he made 99 appearances in league and cup matches, scoring 86 goals.
Liverpool
In May 1895, he signed for Liverpool (who had just been relegated to
the Second Division) for a fee of £60, making his debut in a 2–3 defeat at
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
on 7 September. His first goals came when he was one of three players who scored twice in a 6–0 victory over
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
on 7 October. He made a total of 19 league appearances in
1895–96, scoring 11 goals as Liverpool took the Second Division title. Liverpool then had to play a series of "Test matches" against
Small Heath
Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre.
History
Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...
and
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
with Liverpool securing their promotion at the expense of Small Heath.
By now his pace had been eroded and he was stricken by injuries,
and he was only selected eight times as Liverpool finished fifth in the First Division at the end of the
1896–97 season. He made a further twelve appearances over the next two seasons, before his last appearance for Liverpool on 17 September 1898. In his four seasons at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
he made a total of 45 appearances with 14 goals.
Later life
Geary subsequently returned to
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...
as a groundsman.
He died on 8 January 1955, a fortnight short of his 87th birthday.
Honours
;
Everton
*
Football League champions:
1890–91
;
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
*
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...
champions:
1895–96
References
External links
*
Profile at www.englandfc.comLiverpool F.C. profileLFChistory.net player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geary, Fred
1868 births
Footballers from Nottingham
1955 deaths
English footballers
England international footballers
Notts County F.C. players
Grimsby Town F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Liverpool F.C. players
English Football League players
Notts Rangers F.C. players
English Football League representative players
Association football forwards