Herbert Justin Kneeshaw (1883–1955) 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 le ...

who played as a

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 ...

. He made over 100 appearances for

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

during a 12-year spell at the side and later became a coach at the club.

Career

Born in Beckhill, Kneeshaw has two spells for

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

(from 1903 to 1904, and from March 1907 to September 1909), and also played for Heaton, St Cuthbert's,

Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in t ...

and Colne Town. During his time with Bradford City he made one appearance in the Football League.Frost, p. 384 In 1912, Kneeshaw joined

Southern Football League The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...

side

after being spotted by manager Fred Stewart, making his debut for the club on the opening day of the 1912–13 season during a 1–1 draw against the club's

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

rivals Swansea Town. He quickly established himself as the first choice goalkeeper for the ''Bluebirds'', playing in over 100 matches in the Southern Football League, a spell interrupted by the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

, and won the Second Division of the Southern Football League in his first season at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...

. He remained with the club following their move into 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 ...

for the 1920–21 season, playing in their first ever Football League match during a 5–2 victory over

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

. However, midway through the season, he was displaced by Ben Davies and spent two seasons as backup, only appearing in a handful of matches for the club, before deciding to retire from the game following the arrival of

Tom Farquharson Thomas Gerard Farquharson (4 December 1899 – 24 December 1970) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Dublin, he played youth football for local sides. In his teens, he became a member of the Irish Republica ...

. He instead took up a coaching position with the club and remained in the role for over a decade.

Honours

;Cardiff City *

Second Division winner: 1912–13

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kneeshaw, Herbert 1883 births 1955 deaths English men's footballers Bradford City A.F.C. players Guiseley A.F.C. players Colne Town F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Men's association football goalkeepers People from Meanwood