Horace Elford Blew (1878 – 1957) was a Welsh international

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 at full-back. He represented

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 22 occasions despite playing 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 ...

only twice in his career. He also represented the Welsh amateur side. Blew played for

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 ...

, and then

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

, although he did not play a League game for The Shakers. In March 1906, he transferred to

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, but only played one game for them before moving to

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

in September 1906. He also appeared for Wrexham Victoria and Brymbo Victoria. He made his

debut in March 1899, and was an automatic selection for the team between 1902 and 1909, missing only five games in that time. Due to his services to football, he was awarded a testimonial in 1908. In 1905 he is recorded as being the tenant of the Raglan Arms, Lambpit Street,

, the Bowling Green, Penybryn in 1916, whilst also being recorded as the owner of the Griffin Inn,

Ponciau Ponciau is a village within the community of Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is close to the villages of Legacy, Pentre Bychan and Johnstown and is overlooked by Ruabon Mountain. The village name is also applied to a la ...

in 1918. After retiring from football, he was elected to Wrexham Council in May 1919, as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidate. He was also listed as an auctioneer and valuer. Blew was

Mayor of Wrexham The mayor of Wrexham is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Wrexham, and Wrexham County Borough in the north of Wales. The position is elected by members of Wrexham County Borough Council at their annual meeting, and today, hold ...

in 1923. His son,

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

, was also a footballer who played for Wrexham and

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

. Horace, whose only appearance with Manchester United in the 1905–06 season was in an away match on Good Friday against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, won a medal for this one game. The point won in that drawn game helped United to win promotion.''The Gillete book of Cricket and Football''. Gordon Ross, 1963.

References

External links

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at StretfordEnd.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Blew, Horace 1878 births 1957 deaths Footballers from Wrexham Welsh footballers Wales international footballers Wrexham A.F.C. players Bury F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players English Football League players Wales amateur international footballers Mayors of places in Wales Association football fullbacks Wrexham Victoria F.C. players Brymbo Victoria F.C. players