John Henry Stirzaker (7 February 1869 – 28 September 1948) 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 le ...

. He played as a defender and spent his entire professional career with

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. After joining Blackpool from Fleetwood Rangers in 1894, Stirzaker started Blackpool's first-ever game in the

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 ...

, a 3–1 defeat at Lincoln City on 5 September 1896. He went on to appear in all but the final three games of the 1896–97 season, scoring four goals. Along with two other imports from Fleetwood Rangers –

Bob Birkett Robert Kirkham Birket (17 November 1874 – 18 August 1933) was an English professional footballer who spent his entire ten-year Football League career with Blackpool after signing from Fleetwood Rangers. Birket began his career with Liverpoo ...

and Jack Scott – Stirzaker was the mainstay of Blackpool's fledgling Football League team of the early part of the 20th century. In 1897–98, Stirzaker made 25 league appearances and scored one goal. Over the next three seasons, he made 93 league appearances and scored nine goals (six of which came in 1900–01). Stirzaker stood in as an emergency

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for Blackpool's opening game of the 1901–02 season, when the club's first-choice 'keeper, Joe Dorrington, was unavailable.Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992'', Breedon Books Sport, p. 179 In

1902–03 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, Stirzaker made only nine appearances after being edged out of the team by utility player

Geordie Anderson George Horsley "Geordie" Anderson (16 April 1870 – 1937) was a Scottish professional footballer. He played as a defender and, later, as a forward. Career Anderson was born in Edinburgh and played as a centre half, initially for Leith Athlet ...

, who could either play in defence or in the forward line. Stirzaker's final game for Blackpool occurred on 13 April 1903, in the final game of the season – a 2–1 victory over

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

at Bloomfield Road.

Death

Stirzaker died on 28 September 1948 in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. He was 79.

Notes

References

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External links

John Henry Stirzaker
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Stirzaker, Harry 1869 births 1948 deaths English footballers Blackpool F.C. players People from Fleetwood Fleetwood Rangers F.C. players English Football League players Association football defenders