Ernie Blenkinsop
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ernest Blenkinsop | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Cudworth, Barnsley, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 1969 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Sheffield, England | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1917–1919 | Brierley Colliery | ||
| 1919–1921 | Cudworth United Methodists | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1921–1923 | Hull City | ||
| 1923–1934 | Sheffield Wednesday | 393 | (5) |
| 1934–1937 | Liverpool | 71 | (0) |
| 1937–1939 | Cardiff City | 10 | (0) |
| 1939 | Buxton | ||
| National team | |||
| 1928–1933 | England | 26 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Ernie Blenkinsop (20 April 1902 – 24 April 1969) was an English footballer who played as a defender at left back. He spent the majority of his career at Sheffield Wednesday, where he won two Football League titles. He also attained 26 caps playing for England.
Life and playing career
Blenkinsop was born in Cudworth, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. He followed his father down the coal mine, working at nearby Brierley Colliery, and playing local football for Cudworth Village Club FC alongside his brother. In 1921 he was signed by Hull City, and the transfer fee was reported to be £100 and a barrel of beer for his team-mates. After two seasons and only 11 first-team appearances for Hull City, he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday boss Bob Brown whilst playing in a reserve fixture as a forward. Brown liked what he saw and promptly took him from East to South Yorkshire in 1922.
Brown played Blenkinsop at number 3, which proved to be a shrewd move as his umcompromising defensive quailities plus his adept control and pinpoint passing ensured that he would became a Wednesday legend and one of the best left-backs to ever don the blue and white striped shirt.
Ernie become a major force behind the rise of the Hillsborough club from languishing at the foot of the 2nd Division to being promoted as champions at the end of the 1925–26 season (42 appearances), they then followed this up by becoming back-to-back champions of England in 1928–29 and 1929–30 (41 and 45 appearances respectively).
Blenkinsop caught the eye of the Football Association selectors who choose him to play for England in a friendly match in France on 17 May 1928, at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Paris, it turned out to be a debut to remember as the English taught the French a lesson in football, beating them by a resounding 5–1 scoreline.
Ernie was given the ultimate accolade when he was handed the captaincy of England for another friendly on 9 December 1931 at the Arsenal Stadium, Highbury. The visitors were Spain, with England, again, handing out footballing lessons as they thrashed the Spanish 7–1. Ernie went on to captain England five times, winning four and losing the other. Ernie also set a record whilst playing for his country, all of his caps came in consecutive England fixtures; they played a total of 26 matches between 17 May 1928 and 1 April 1933, with Blenkinsop appearing in them all. This record was subsequently beaten by Roger Byrne who appeared in 33 consecutive England games from his debut to his death in the Munich Air Disaster. However, Blenkinsop remains in second place.
Between 1922 and 1934 Blenkinsop made 424 appearances for Wednesday, scoring 5 goals. Then, much to the derision of the Wednesday faithful, Ernie was surprisingly transferred to Liverpool for £5000 in April 1934, with manager George Patterson hoping to recreate the England full-back partnership Blenkinsop and Tom Cooper had together. Blenkinsop's debut came on 17 March 1934 in a 1st Division match at Anfield, the prolific Gordon Hodgson scored all four goals in the 4–1 victory making it a day to remember for Ernie and fellow debutant Vic Wright.
Blenkinsop flitted in and out of the starting line-up but made the left-back spot his own during the 1935–36 season, however, this turned out to be the only season he could be called a 'regular.' Ernie, again, held the number 3 shirt at the beginning of the 1936–37 campaign but soon lost out to Benjamin Dabb and never really regained his place.
After 71 appearances in a red shirt, Blenkinsop was granted a transfer and moved to Welsh club Cardiff City in November 1937. After a short spell at Ninian Park Ernie moved north to Derbyshire, where he played for Buxton. He then returned to Yorkshire, representing Halifax and Bradford City as a wartime guest.
Ernie died four days after his 67th birthday in April 1969, forever remembered as one of the greatest ever left-backs to play the beautiful game.