Dick Evans (footballer)

Dick Evans

Personal information
Full name	Richard Evans
Date of birth	c.1875
Place of birth	Smallthorne, England
Date of death	13 January 1942(1942-01-13)
Place of death	Salisbury, England
Playing position	Outside-right
Youth career
	Newcastle White Star
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1894–1899	Burslem Port Vale	103	(39)
1899–1902	Reading
1902–1904	Southampton	41	(16)
1904	Burslem Port Vale	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Richard "Dick" Evans (c.1875 – 13 January 1942) was an English footballer, who played at outside-right, spending most of his career with Burslem Port Vale as well as a two-year spell at Southampton where he won two Southern League championships.

Playing career

Burslem Port Vale

Evans joined Burslem Port Vale in November 1894 from Newcastle White Star. He soon slotted into the side well, becoming joint-top scorer with Danny Simpson two seasons running; with 14 goals in 1896–97 and 11 in 1897–98, during which the club were playing in the Midland League, having failed to be re-elected to the Football League in 1896. He helped the club lift the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1898. He lost his place however, in February 1899 and signed for Reading in the summer of 1899.

Southampton

In the close season of 1902, Evans moved from Reading to fellow Southern League team Southampton. He arrived at The Dell with a high reputation following his achievements with Port Vale. Nicknamed "Jammer", he had a deadly shot and was a quick and reliable right winger who rapidly became a favourite with the fans, who also loved his "never-say-die" spirit".^[1]

He made his debut in the opening game of the 1902–03 season, a 6–0 victory over Brentford (in which John Fraser scored a hat trick).^[2] He soon became a fixture on the right wing, with Joe Turner on the left, although in January he lost his place to Scottish international Mark Bell as a result of an injury, before returning at the end of February. In his first season with the "Saints" he played 23 matches, scoring seven goals, as Southampton claimed the Southern League title for the fifth time in seven years.^[2]

Evans started the 1903–04 season with three goals in the first three matches and was on the score sheet regularly, until December when a serious leg injury forced him to sit out most of the rest of the season, (being replaced first by Joe Turner and then by Harry Turner) only returning for the last three matches. Evans' nine goals from his 18 appearances helped Southampton claim the Southern League title for the sixth (and final) time.^[3]

Ill health and injuries forced his retirement in 1904^[1] — in his two years at The Dell, he made 41 appearances (16 goals) and helped the team to claim two championship trophies.

Return to Port Vale

A return to Vale followed in September 1904, however in only his second game — a 1–0 home defeat by Wolves in the Staffordshire Cup — he suffered a career ending injury and retired that year. He had played 134 matches (61 in the Football League) and scored 49 goals (21 in the League) for Vale.^[4]

After football

After his brief sojourn back in the Potteries, he returned to Southampton becoming the landlord of the London Arms in the Docks, a position he held until he retired in 1936.^[1] He then settled in Salisbury, where he died in January 1942.^[1]

Honours

Port Vale

• Staffordshire Senior Cup winner: 1898

Southampton

• Southern League championship: 1902–03 and 1903–04

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. pp. 32–33. ISBN 0-907969-22-4. 
3. ^ Saints – A complete record. pp. 34–35. 
4. ^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 96. ISBN 0952915200. http://www.amazon.ca/Port-Vale-Personalities-Jeff-Kent/dp/0952915200. 

Persondata
Name	Evans, Dick
Alternative names	Richard Evans
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	1875
Place of birth	Smallthorne, England
Date of death	13 January 1942
Place of death	Salisbury, England