Samuel Weaver (8 February 1909 – 15 April 1985) 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 as a
half-back.
Playing career
Weaver began his career at local side
Pilsley from where he moved to
Sutton Town. His performances for Town attracted the attention of
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
and in March 1928 he moved to the Tigers for £50.
[Douglas Lamming, ''A Who's Who of Hull City AFC'', Hutton Press, 1984, p. 102] In November 1929 he left
Anlaby Road
Anlaby Road was a sports venue in Hull. The ground was used for football club Hull City between 1906 and 1939. The record attendance was 32,000 in a FA Cup game against Newcastle United. The stands were bombed during the Second World War bu ...
for
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, netting City a huge profit by moving for £2500.
He proved a success at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
, winning an FA Cup medal with the club in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
.
[Lamming, ''Who's Who'', p. 103] He also played three times for the
England national team in 1932 and 1933 whilst at the club.
He moved to
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 ...
in 1936 for £4166 and was at the club to 1945 although his career was interrupted by the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. During the conflict he was a regular guest player for
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
during the
1942–43 season.
He left Chelsea in December 1945 for
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 ...
and retired in the 1947 close season.
As a player Weaver was noted not only for aggression but also for his long throw-ins which reached up to 35 yards in length.
Coaching
Following his retirement Weaver returned to Leeds to join the coaching staff. He left the club in June 1949 to take up a similar role at
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
and remained in this position until January 1954.
After a spell out of the game Weaver took on the role of coach at
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
in September 1955 before being promoted to the role of manager in June 1958 in succession to
Charlie Mitten.
He was dismissed in January 1960 during
a season in which Mansfield were relegated from the
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...
.
Following the appointment of
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter (21 December 1913 – 9 October 1994) was an English sportsman who played football for Sunderland, Derby County and Hull City, as well as representing England on thirteen occasions. He also played first-class cri ...
as his successor Weaver made a surprise return to Mansfield the following month after Carter offered him the position of assistant trainer.
Weaver continued in this role under
Tommy Cummings
Thomas Smith Cummings (12 September 1928 – 12 July 2009) was an English football player and manager.
Cummings was born in Sunderland, County Durham and started his football career at Hylton Colliery Juniors. Such was his quality as a centr ...
before being made chief scout under
Tommy Eggleston
Thomas Eggleston (21 February 1920 – 14 January 2004) was an English footballer and manager.
Career
Eggleston became a coach and manager after a playing career interrupted by the Second World War and then ended prematurely by injury. He was ...
, a role in which he remained until he retired from football.
Cricket
Alongside his football career Weaver also played first-class
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 ...
for
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Somerset. Founded in 1875, Somerset was initially regarded as a minor ...
and was masseur to the club from 1956.
Honours
;
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
*
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 ...
winner:
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, Sam
1909 births
1985 deaths
England men's international footballers
English men's footballers
Hull City A.F.C. players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
Leeds United F.C. wartime guest players
Stockport County F.C. players
English football managers
Mansfield Town F.C. managers
English cricketers
London Counties cricketers
Somerset cricketers
Sutton Town A.F.C. players
English Football League representative players
People from Pilsley, North East Derbyshire
Footballers from Derbyshire
Men's association football wing halves