John Hawley Edwards

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John Hawley Edwards (c.1850 – 14 January 1893) was an England born footballer who made one appearance for England in 1874, before going on to play for Wales in 1876. He was a member of the Wanderers team that won the 1876 FA Cup Final.

Contents

[edit] Career

Edwards was born in Shrewsbury and was a qualified solicitor, being admitted in 1871. He played for Shropshire Wanderers and was called into the England side as a late replacement for another Shrewsbury-born player, John Wylie.[1] He made his solitary England appearance on 7 March 1874 against Scotland, playing as an inside forward. After "a most competitive game",[2] Scotland won 2–1, with Robert Kingsford scoring England's consolation goal.[3]

He was also a member of the Wanderers team, making his first appearance on 4 March 1874, scoring in a 4–0 victory over Westminster School.[4] In 1876, he only made two appearances for Wanderers, both in the Cup Final when he played at centre forward against the Old Etonians. In the first match, played at Kennington Oval on March 11, 1876, Edwards scored the first goal, turning in a cross from Charles Wollaston.[5] The Old Etonians equalized through Alexander Bonsor, so the match went to a replay, which the Wanderers won 3–0, thus winning the trophy for the third time in five years.

Edwards had been instrumental in helping to establish the Welsh Football Association, serving as its first treasurer. A week after the FA Cup Final replay, Edwards played for the Wales national team in their inaugural match, played at Hamilton Crescent, Partick on 25 March 1876. The match ended in a 4–0 victory for the Scots.[6] Edwards was one of two players to play at full international level for both England and Wales, the other being Robert Evans, who made ten appearances for Wales and then played four times for England.[7]

Edwards was also a useful cricketer and played for Shropshire for several years and served the club as secretary.[1]

He was later clerk to Shrewsbury magistrates court for nineteen years until his death on 14 January 1893.

[edit] Honours

Wanderers

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Betts, Graham (2006). England: Player by player. Green Umbrella Publishing, p.96. ISBN 1-905009-63-1. 
  2. ^ Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England - A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing, p. 41. ISBN 1-84426-035-6. 
  3. ^ Report on Scotland v England match. www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved on 1 March 2008.
  4. ^ Cavallini, Rob (2005). The Wanderers F.C.: Five Times F.A. Cup Winners. Dog N Duck Publications, p.102. ISBN 0-9550496-0-1. 
  5. ^ Gibbons. , pp. 46-47. 
  6. ^ Scotland 4 Wales 0, 25 March 1876. Welsh Football Data Archive. Retrieved on 1 March 2008.
  7. ^ England Players Appearing for Other National Teams. www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved on 1 March 2008.

[edit] External links