Alf Underwood
Encyclopedia
Alfred "Alf" Underwood (1869 – 8 October 1928) was an English footballer who played 130 times for Stoke
in the 1880s and 1890s.
. He and Rowley joined Stoke in 1887 in time for the first season of The Football League
.
Underwood stood at 6 ft tall and weighed 13 st and along with Tommy Clare, formed an imposing barricade and were often referred to as a pair rather than an individual. Underwood's balding head and sunken eyes gave him a demonic appearance.
His main assets were his heavy tackles and his long clearances. Members of the local press often criticised him for being too impetuous and rash. He occasionally mis-kicked his clearances and on one occasion against Accrington
in September 1888, Underwood hoofed the ball vertically in the air and Accrington scored via a volleyed shot. This led to The Sentinel claiming that Underwood should stop trying to break windows.
Underwood played at left-back in Stoke's first season in the Football League and missed only one match in the next three seasons (at Walsall
in 1891). He went on to win two full England caps, appearing alongside fellow Stoke team mates Bill Rowley and Tommy Clare.
He retired in 1893 when he was only 24 after he cut his knee and the wound became infected, although he was still called up to play occasionally afterwards. Underwood then worked in the local pot banks but suffered many health problems which led to his death in 1928.
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in the 1880s and 1890s.
Career
Underwood was born in Hanley, Staffordshire and in his youth played in the local Church league for Hanley Tabernacle and Etruria along with Bill RowleyBill Rowley
William Spencer "Bill" Rowley was an English footballer who played as goalkeeper for Stoke in the 1880s and 1890s, also making two appearances for England...
. He and Rowley joined Stoke in 1887 in time for the first season of The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
Underwood stood at 6 ft tall and weighed 13 st and along with Tommy Clare, formed an imposing barricade and were often referred to as a pair rather than an individual. Underwood's balding head and sunken eyes gave him a demonic appearance.
His main assets were his heavy tackles and his long clearances. Members of the local press often criticised him for being too impetuous and rash. He occasionally mis-kicked his clearances and on one occasion against Accrington
Accrington F.C.
Accrington Football Club were an English football club from Accrington, Lancashire, who were one of the founder members of The Football League. Accrington F.C. was formed following a meeting at a local public house in 1876...
in September 1888, Underwood hoofed the ball vertically in the air and Accrington scored via a volleyed shot. This led to The Sentinel claiming that Underwood should stop trying to break windows.
Underwood played at left-back in Stoke's first season in the Football League and missed only one match in the next three seasons (at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
in 1891). He went on to win two full England caps, appearing alongside fellow Stoke team mates Bill Rowley and Tommy Clare.
He retired in 1893 when he was only 24 after he cut his knee and the wound became infected, although he was still called up to play occasionally afterwards. Underwood then worked in the local pot banks but suffered many health problems which led to his death in 1928.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
1887–88 1887-88 in English football The 1887–1888 season was the 17th season of competitive football in England.-National team:England won the 1888 British Home Championship, their first victory in the tournament, with comfortable victories over all three other home nations, in each of which England scored five goals.Albert Allen,... |
0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1888–89 1888-89 in English football The 1888–1889 season was the 18th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:A new competition, The Football League, started this season... |
22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1889–90 1889-90 in English football The 1889–90 season was the 19th season of competitive football in England. Preston North End were Football League champions for the second successive season while The Wednesday finished top of the newly formed Football Alliance. Blackburn Rovers won the FA Cup.... |
22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1890–91 1890-91 in English football The 1890–91 season was the 20th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Everton started the 1890–91 season in superb form with five straight victories, with Fred Geary scoring in each of the first six matches... |
21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1891–92 1891-92 in English football The 1891–92 season was the 21st season of competitive football in England.-Events:Three new clubs joined the Football Alliance, following the expansion of the Football League to 14 teams, and the defection of Sunderland Albion to the Northern League... |
22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1892–93 1892-93 in English football The 1892–93 season was the 22nd season of competitive football in England.-Events:The Football League and the Football Alliance formally merged, and so the Football League Second Division was formed, consisting mostly of Football Alliance clubs... |
26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 1893–94 1893-94 in English football The 1893–94 season was the 23rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:The 1893–94 season saw four of the most famous teams in English Footballing history join the Second Division: Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and the first team based in London, Woolwich Arsenal... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 114 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 130 | 0 | |
Honours
Stoke- Football AllianceFootball AllianceThe Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.It was formed by 12 clubs as a rival to the Football League, which had begun in the 1888–89 season, also with 12 member clubs...
champions: 1890–91