Walter "Warhorse" Langton (6 February 1867−1952) 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
left back
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 ...
and
centre 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 ...
for 18 seasons with
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, holding the record for being their longest serving player.
Hailing from Greenhill Lane near
Alfreton
Alfreton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. The town was formerly a Norman Manor and later an Urban District. The population of the Alfreton parish was 7,971 at the 2011 Census. The villages of Ir ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, he was the son of Fanny and Samuel Langton. He followed his father, working as a coalminer. After some time playing for
Mexborough
Mexborough is a town in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Situated between Manvers and Denaby Main, it lies on the River Don close to where it joins the River Dearne, and the A6023 road runs through the town. It is contiguous ...
, he moved to play for
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
in 1887 at around the age of 19 where, being an amateur, he worked as a slotting machinist at the GWR railworks. Langton started off in the left back position, moving to centre forward in the 1890−91 season, then latterly returning to left back.
He scored at least 55 goals in his career at Doncaster - in his early days many goals weren't accredited to a player in the records. The first recorded goals were a
brace
Brace(s) or bracing may refer to:
Medical
* Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement
** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine
*** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...
on 9 February 1889 in a 2−2 draw against
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
. In his next season Langton scored at least 14 out of the 34 matches that the team played, including 5 against Newark in an 8−0 victory on 1 February 1890. In 1890−91 it was 11 goals out of the 19 games Rovers played.
On 5 November 1898, he scored against Huddersfield in the Yorkshire League in the still standing joint record 14−0 Doncaster win.
Langton was the only recorded scorer of
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
for Rovers up till 1898. The first one recorded was in a 3−3 draw against Sheffield Strollers in front of a crowd of 6,000 in the Sheffield and Hallamshire Challenge Cup on 18 February 1893 at the
Olive Grove
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...
,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
. In all he is listed as having scored 8 goals from the spot.
After the 1904−05 season with Doncaster, Langton retired from playing the game.
Personal life
He was married to Lilian in 4Q 1880 in Doncaster, and had 4 children though none survived past 20 years. He died in Doncaster in 4Q 1952.
Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
Th ...
Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup
The Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup is a county cup competition involving teams within the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association. Originally named the Sheffield Challenge Cup, it is the 5th oldest surviving cup competition i ...