Wilfred Grant (3 August 1920 – 17 July 1990)
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
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
.
Playing career
Early career
Grant was born in
Bedlington
Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census. Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly 1 ...
and as a youth played for
Morpeth Town
Morpeth Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. They are currently members of the and play at Craik Park.
History
The club was established in 1909. They joined the Northern Alliance in 193 ...
before joining
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 ...
as a trainee in 1937. 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 ...
when he joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. Towards the end of the war he signed professional papers with
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 ...
, but continued with the RAF. Whilst stationed at
Wareham he guested for
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 ...
; as he had a brother working for
Southern Railway at
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
he was keen to remain in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
and after the cessation of hostilities Southampton bought him out of his Manchester City contract for £1,000.
Southampton
He made his debut for the "Saints" in a
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 ...
game away to
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
on 5 October 1946 on the
left wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
, where he soon became settled, scoring a brace in a 5–1 victory over
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
on 26 October. Manager
Bill Dodgin preferred him on the right, however, (where he replaced
Billy Bevis
William Ernest Bevis DSM (29 September 1918 – 22 August 1994) was an English footballer who played for Southampton as an outside right in the years either side of the Second World War.
Football career
Portsmouth
Bevis was born in Warsash, Ha ...
), teaming up with the ageing
Bill Rochford
William Rochford (27 May 1913 – 9 March 1984) was an English footballer. A member of the Portsmouth team that won the 1939 FA Cup, he played over 100 matches for Portsmouth and for their south coast rivals, Southampton.
Playing career
Rochfo ...
. This role was not to Grant's liking and his form slumped. Although he was transfer-listed in August 1948,
he remained with Southampton for the next two seasons, used occasionally as replacement for
Eric Day
Eric Charles Day (6 November 1921 – 10 November 2012) was an English footballer who played his entire career of nearly 400 Football League games for Southampton. He was born in Dartford, Kent
Kent is a county in South East England a ...
. In 1948–49 he seemed settled back on the left before he lost his place to
Bill Heaton. After a rather frustrating time, he joined
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 ...
in March 1950 with
Ernie Stevenson coming to the south coast in exchange. In his four seasons at
The Dell he made 64 appearances scoring 13 goals.
Cardiff City
Soon after his move to
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 ...
, manager
Cyril Spiers
Cyril Henry Spiers (4 April 1902 – 21 May 1967) was an English association football Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper who played for Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wandere ...
moved him to
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 ...
following the arrival of
Mike Tiddy
Michael Douglas Tiddy (4 April 1929 – 25 November 2009) was an English professional footballer and manager.
Career
Born in Cadgwith, Cornwall, Tiddy, the older of two footballing brothers joined Torquay United at the end of World War II but w ...
, where his devastating turn of speed immediately produced instant rewards, with 14 goals coming in the
1950–51 season as Cardiff finished in third place in the Second Division.
The following season Cardiff went one better finishing in second place, thus gaining promotion to
the First Division. During Cardiff's promotion season Grant was top scorer with 26 goals, the first 19 of which were at home.
Shortly after Cardiff secured their place in the top flight, Grant's superb form earned him a call up to the
England 'B' team for a match against their
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
equivalents on 22 May 1952.
Unfortunately for Grant the match ended in a resounding 7–1 victory for the French which brought his international career to an end.
He spent two further seasons with Cardiff in the First Division where, jointly with
Ken Chisholm, he was again top scorer in
1953–54 with 12 goals as Cardiff reached tenth place in the league table. After four and a half seasons at Cardiff City, Grant was sold to
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in October 1954 for a fee of £7,500. In his career at Cardiff, Grant made a total of 159 league and
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 ...
appearances scoring 67 goals.
Ipswich Town
At Ipswich he was manager
Scott Duncan's most expensive signing at £7,500. At the end of Grant's
first season at
Portman Road
Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internatio ...
, Ipswich were relegated to the
Third Division South
The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...
. In August 1955 Duncan resigned and was replaced as manager by Grant's former Southampton teammate,
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...
. In
1955–56 Grant contributed 16 goals (including two
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
s against
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 ...
) as Town finished in third place, missing promotion by one point. Injuries and loss of form restricted Grant to 12 appearances in
1956–57 (at the end of which Ipswich were promoted as Champions). After three years with Ipswich, Grant (now 37) dropped out of
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 ...
to join
Llanelli
Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...
as player-manager.
Coaching and management
After a year with Llanelli, during which his "astute management" helped them gain promotion to the
Welsh Football League
The Welsh Football League (also known as the Nathaniel Car Sales Welsh Football League for sponsorship reasons) was a club football league in Wales. For its final season in 2019–20 season it operated at levels 3 and 4 of the Welsh football leagu ...
First Division, Grant returned to Cardiff City where he spent four years as a coach, helping them back to the First Division in
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Ja ...
. He was sacked during the 1962–63 season after a row with the board.
He then spent some time as a
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
for
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
before being appointed as manager at
Southern League Premier Division
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 foot ...
Worcester City
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane.
Worcester City's ...
in December 1971. After a year at Worcester he was replaced by
Graham Newton. His final managerial position was at
Bromsgrove Rovers (of the Southern League Division One North) who he joined in December 1974, but was sacked nine months later.
After football
He subsequently became a sports teacher at a
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
college.
He died in Worcester on 17 July 1990 shortly before his 70th birthday.
Honours
Cardiff City
*
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:
1951–52
References
External links
Ipswich Town profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Wilf
1920 births
People from Bedlington
Footballers from Northumberland
1990 deaths
English footballers
Morpeth Town A.F.C. players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Manchester City F.C. players
Southampton F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Llanelli Town A.F.C. players
England B international footballers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Llanelli Town A.F.C. managers
Worcester City F.C. managers
Bromsgrove Rovers F.C. managers
Association football forwards
English football managers