Albert Groves
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Groves | ||
| Date of birth | January 1886[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newport, Wales[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1960[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Centre-half[1] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| – | Aberdare Athletic | ||
| 1909–1920 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 217 | (20) |
| 1920–1924 | Walsall | 124 | (15) |
| – | Willenhall | ||
| Total | 341+ | (35+) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1920–1921 | Walsall | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Albert Groves (1886 – 1960) was a Welsh footballer and manager. A centre-half, he played for Aberdare Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall, and Willenhall. He served Walsall as player-manager in the 1920–21 season.
Playing career
Born at Newport in January 1886, Groves played for Aberdare Athletic before signing with Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1909.[1] He made his Second Division debut at Molineux on the last day of the 1909–10 season, in a 3–2 win over Manchester City.[1] Wanderers went on to finish ninth in 1910–11 and fifth in 1911–12, before Groves scored ten league goals to help the club to a tenth-place finish in 1912–13.[1] The club went on to finish ninth in 1913–14 and fourth in 1914–15, before World War I temporarily put a halt to the Football League.[1] During the war he guested for Port Vale in October 1916, scoring three goals in 23 games before moving on to Bury and Sunbeam Motor Works (Coventry).[2] After returning to "Wolves" after the war, he helped the club to a 19th-place finish in 1919–20.[1] He was then appointed player-manager at Birmingham League outfit Walsall, before he was replaced by Joe Burchell.[1] He remained on at Fellows Park as player-secretary, and scored eight goals in 36 games in 1921–22, as the club became founder members of the Third Division North.[1] He continued to turn out for the "Saddlers" in 1922–23 and 1923–24, racking up 79 League, 12 FA Cup and 33 other senior appearances, scoring 15 goals.[1] He then ended his playing days at Willenhall, and after retiring from football he ran the Hope and Anchor public house in Willenhall.[1]
References
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