Edward Killean (1874–1937) 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 half back around the turn of the 20th century, spending the largest part of his career with Blackburn Rovers.

Football career

Killean was born in Great Harwood,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and after serving with the 3rd Coldstream Guards joined his home-town club, Blackburn Rovers, in August 1894 going on to make over 100 appearances in all competitions. In the 1894–95 season he was often played as an

inside-forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

and in January 1895, he and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

international

Henry Chippendale Harry Chippendale (2 October 1870 – 29 September 1952) was an English international footballer, who played as an outside right. Career Born in Blackburn, Chippendale started his career with Accrington but did not make a senior appearance for ...

both scored hat-tricks in a 9–1 victory over Small Heath. By the end of the following season, Killean had become established at left-half taking over from

Thomas Cleghorn Thomas Cleghorn (born June 1871) was a Scottish footballer who played as a half back. He made 101 appearances in the Football League for Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool, in which he scored three goals. Having begun his career with Scottish Foo ...

who had moved on to join

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Over the next two seasons, Killean rarely missed a league match for Blackburn who struggled near the foot of the First Division table, including having to go through the play-offs at the end of the 1897–98 season. Although Rovers came last in the play-off table, they retained their place in the top flight as the First Division was expanded to 18 clubs. By November 1898,

Peter Chambers Peter Chambers (born 14 March 1990) is a British rower, and is the brother of fellow rower Richard Chambers. He is a World Champion in the men's lightweight double sculls and an Olympic silver medalist in the men's lightweight coxless four. He ...

had taken over at left-half and Killean was transferred to Glossop North End who had just been elected to the expanded

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. Killean was an ever-present for the rest of the 1898–99 season, at the end of which Glossop finished as runners-up and were thus promoted to the First Division. Glossop struggled in their only season in the top-flight, finishing at the foot of the table nine points behind second-last club

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

and returned to the Second Division. In the summer of 1900, Killean moved to the south coast to join

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

of the Southern League as cover for

international Arthur Chadwick. Described as "''a sturdy, diligent reserve''" he made his debut for the "Saints" playing at

centre-half 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 ...

in a 3–1

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 ...

defeat by Everton on 9 February 1901. In March, he made two league appearances when Chadwick was injured, and although these resulted in a 5–1 defeat of Queens Park Rangers and a 1–1 draw at

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

, Killean lost his place once Chadwick was fit. In his two league appearances, Killean "''distributed the ball with precision''" but was too slow to hold on to his place in a very strong Southampton side, who ended the season as Southern League champions for the fourth time in five years. Killean then moved to fellow Southern League side New Brompton where he was a first-team regular for two seasons before returning to 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 ...

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 ...

in December 1903, retiring the following summer.

Personal life

In May 1899, Killean appeared at Blackburn County Police Courts on a charge of breach of the peace for fighting with a man called Robert Horne in Whalley Road, Wilpshire, Blackburn. He was bound over in the sum of £5 and one surety of the same amount to keep the peace for six months. The Court records showed his address at the time as 9 Taylor Street, Blackburn.

Honours

Glossop North End *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

runners-up: 1898–99

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Killean, Ted 1874 births 1937 deaths People from Great Harwood Footballers from Lancashire English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Glossop North End A.F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Southern Football League players English Football League players Coldstream Guards officers