Frederick James Gregory (21 October 1886 – 24 May 1937) was an English

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 le ...

who played for

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

, initially as an inside forward, and latterly as a half back and full back.

Early and personal life

Gregory was born in Pinner in 1886. The second of six sons, Gregory was named after his father, who was a

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...

at Pinner Hill Farm, and later the licensee of Oddfellows pub in Pinner. He was educated at Pinner National School, and played his first game of men's football aged 11, for Pinner Football Club's reserves. In his early adult years, his primary sporting focus was

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

; he played as a batsman for Pinner CC and Eastcote CC, before coaching the

Benskins Brewery Benskins was the pre-eminent brewery in Watford, and Hertfordshire's biggest brewer until its acquisition by Ind Coope in 1957. While Benskins has not existed as an independent company for over half a century, the brand continues to be well kno ...

cricket team. Gregory joined

as an amateur in 1911, turning professional later the same year. He was subsequently joined by three of his brothers:

Val Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Sov ...

, Allan and Owen. At one stage, all four of them were contracted to the club simultaneously, although only Fred and Val went on to play for the first-team.

Watford

Gregory made his Watford debut on 30 September 1911, playing at inside forward as Watford won 2–0 against West Ham United at

Cassio Road Cassio Road, also known as the West Herts Sport Ground, is a sports ground in Watford in England. It was the home ground of Watford F.C. between 1898 and 1922. History In the early twentieth century, Cassio Road was used for athletics, cricket ...

. He went on to play every game in October and November, and was still in the team when Val made his debut on 25 December, in a 1–1 draw at home to Luton Town. Fred continued to play on a regular basis from then on, and finished his first season with 25 appearances and 8 goals in all competitions, as the club finished 9th. Over the following two seasons he continued to play regularly, but the team dropped 14th in the 1912–13 season, and narrowly avoided relegation in 1913–14 with an 18th-placed finish. Despite Britain's participation in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the 1914–15 season continued as scheduled. Gregory played in all 38 league matches, and his goal in the penultimate game secured a 3–2 win at Gillingham, ensuring that Watford finished the season as Southern League champions. As a result of the war, peacetime competitions were suspended from 1915 until 1919. Gregory served in the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

, but also made 53 appearances for Watford in wartime fixtures. On the resumption of peacetime football in 1919–20, Gregory played 34 league games. His last appearance alongside Val came on 5 April 1920, in a 2–1 win against Luton; at the end of the season Val left the club to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, for a then-record Watford fee of £1,500. Watford came close to defending their title, but eventually missed out to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on the final day of the season on goal average. Watford, along with all other Southern League First Division clubs, joined the newly formed

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

in 1920. Gregory captained the team in their first ever Football League game, a 2–1 away win against Queens Park Rangers on 28 August. The team finished the season in 6th position, with Gregory making 21 league appearances. Over the next five seasons, Gregory continued to play frequently, making at least 20 appearances per season as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, and regularly attracting praise from journalists covering Watford's opposition. He scored in his final home game for Watford, in a 3–2 win over Swindon Town. However, his professional career ended in a 6–1 defeat at Exeter City, on 1 May 1926.

Later life and final years

Although he ultimately did not make another first-team appearance, Gregory remained at Watford for a further two seasons, and made several appearances for the reserves. He became landlord of The Victory pub in Pinner in 1926, a role that he continued for the remainder of his life. In his later years he suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and he spent the final four months of his life at a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

in Harefield. Gregory died on 24 May 1937, aged 50.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Fred 1886 births 1937 deaths Military personnel from the London Borough of Harrow People from Pinner Footballers from the London Borough of Harrow English men's footballers English Football League players Southern Football League players Watford F.C. players 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis British Army personnel of World War I Royal Garrison Artillery soldiers Men's association football inside forwards Tuberculosis deaths in England