Fred Dewhurst

Fred Dewhurst (Born Fulwood, near Preston, Lancashire, 16 December 1863, died 21 April 1895) was a professional footballer, who played as an inside forward for Preston North End in the late 19th century. He also made 9 appearances for England between 1886 and 1889, scoring 11 goals.

His main claim to fame is scoring the first goal for Preston in their opening game in the inaugural season of The Football League on 8 September 1888 in a 5-2 victory over Burnley. Although Aston Villa's Gershom Cox had scored the very first goal only minutes earlier, as this was an own goal, Dewhurst could claim to have scored the first "intentional" goal in the Football League.

In the 1888-89 season he played 16 league games, scoring 12 goals. Dewhurst was a losing finalist in the 1888 FA Cup but went on to take the Cup the following year. He scored in both games.

External links

* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060808/ai_n16662286 Feature in Independent on "landmark" goals]
* [http://www.pnefc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/125YearsDetail/0,,10362~699929,00.html Report on Preston vs. Burnley on 8 September 1888]