Edgar Field

Edgar Field (29 July 1854 – 11 January 1934) was an English amateur footballer who helped Clapham Rovers win the FA Cup in 1880. He made two appearances for England as a full back.

Career

Field was born in Wallingford, Berkshire and attended Lancing Collegecite book | last= Betts |first=Graham| title=England: Player by player | publisher=Green Umbrella Publishing | year=2006|pages=p.101| isbn=1-905009-63-1] where he played in the school team before leaving to play for Reading during the mid-1870s. He later joined Clapham Rovers before his first international match; he also represented Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

He made his international debut against Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Partick on 4 March 1876. According to Philip Gibbons, "the England side tended to be chosen on availability rather than skill alone."cite book |last= Gibbons|first= Philip|authorlink= |title= Association Football in Victorian England - A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900|year= 2001|publisher= Upfront Publishing|pages=p.46|isbn=1-84426-035-6] England struggled throughout the game, which saw the home team run out winners by three goals to nil. [cite web | title= Scotland 3 - England 0; 4 March 1876 (Match summary)| work= www.englandstats.com | url=http://www.englandstats.com/matchreport.php?mid=5 |accessdate=September 11 | accessyear=2008]

He was a member of the Clapham Rovers team that reached the FA Cup final twice losing 1-0 to Old Etonians in 1879, going on to win the cup in 1880 with a 1-0 win over Oxford University at The Kennington Oval.

His second and final cap came five years after his first, also against Scotland on 12 March 1881. Although most reports credit John Smith with a hat-trick, at least two sources say Field scored an own goal. If he did, he was the first player to do so in an England match. England went down to a "humiliating" 6–1 defeat. [cite web | title= England 1 - Scotland 6; 12 March 1881 (Match summary)| work= www.englandstats.com | url=http://www.englandstats.com/matchreport.php?mid=13 |accessdate=September 11 | accessyear=2008]

Career outside football

Field was a Chartered Accountant by profession. He practised initially in London, before moving to Derby in 1913 just prior to the First World War. He joined the Land Agents Messrs Shaw and Fuller of College Place, Derby, where one of the partners Mr. Fuller was his brother-in-law. Field died at his home in Derby on 11 January 1934, aged 79.

In May 2008, a photograph of the 1876 England team was discovered in the archives of the Derby City Council Local Studies Library. Field had sent the photograph to the Derbyshire Football Express, and the picture was used in an article published on the 50th anniversary of the match. This picture came to light in May and is believed to be the the earliest known picture of an England football team. [cite web | title= Picture unearthed of England's First(sic) Football Team | work=skynews| url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1315369,00.html | accessdate=June 10 | accessyear=2008] [cite web | title= First ever England football team picture| work= Daily Telegraph| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1937050/First-ever-England-football-team-picture.html | date= 8 May 2008|accessdate=September 4 | accessyear=2008]

Honours

;Clapham Rovers
*FA Cup winner: 1880
*FA Cup finalist: 1879

References

External links

* [http://www.englandstats.com/playerreport.php?pid=353 Profile at www.englandstats.com]
* [http://www.englandfc.com/Profiles/php/PlayerProfileByName.php?id=356 Profile at www.englandfc.com]
* [http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersF/BioFieldE.html Biography at www.englandfootballonline.com]
* [http://www.youandyesterday.com/articles/England_Football_Team_-_World_Exclusive_Picture! Feature on "You and Yesterday"]