Doug Lishman
Encyclopedia
Douglas John Lishman was an English
football
er.
Born in Birmingham
, Lishman first played as a centre forward
for non-league Paget Rangers
, before signing as a professional for Third Division South
Walsall
in August 1946. In two seasons with the Saddlers, Lishman scored 26 goals in 59 league appearances.
He was signed by Arsenal
in the summer of 1948 for £10,500, as backup for Reg Lewis
, who was only 28 but becoming ever more frequently injured. Lishman made his debut against Sheffield United
on September 4, 1948, but after a promising first season (scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances), Lishman's 1949-50
and 1950-51
seasons were marred by injury. Lishman was passed over for the 1950 FA Cup
final (which Arsenal won 2-0), in favour of Lewis and Peter Goring
, and then just as he came back into the Arsenal first team, he broke his leg
playing against Stoke City
in December 1950.
However, Lishman recovered to become Arsenal's top scorer in 1950-51, and the next season hit 30 goals, including three hat-trick
s in three successive home matches; Arsenal finished third that season. The following season (1951-52
) they reached the FA Cup
final
, only to lose to Newcastle United
; a series of injuries meant only eight fit players finished the match (no substitutes were allowed in those days). Lishman came close for Arsenal with a header, which clipped the crossbar, but Arsenal lost 1-0.
Lishman's disappointment was soon forgotten, as Arsenal won the League Championship
in 1952-53
. Lishman was again Arsenal's top scorer, this time with 26, and with every goal proving vital – Arsenal won the title on goal average above Preston North End
. His form was good enough for him to be picked for an England B
match against Scotland B
in March 1953, although he was never capped for the full national side.
Lishman was top scorer for another two seasons after that, making it five successive seasons as the club's top scorer in total. In all he scored 137 goals in 244 appearances, making him the club's seventh-highest goalscorer of all time. With younger men like Derek Tapscott
and David Herd
taking over goalscoring duties for Arsenal, however, Lishman was dropped from the first team in 1955-56
.
In March 1956 he was sold to Second Division
Nottingham Forest
. He scored a hat-trick in the match that got Forest promoted (a 4-0 win over Sheffield United) to Division One in 1956-57
, but decided to retire in the summer of 1957. He left the game entirely after retiring. He joined his father-in law in business (furniture retail) in Stoke on Trent, later taking over the business himself. He continued to live in Stoke on Trent until his death in 1994.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er.
Born in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Lishman first played as a centre forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for non-league Paget Rangers
Paget Rangers F.C.
Paget Rangers F.C. is a defunct English association football club which was based in Birmingham. The club originally formed in 1938 when a group of former pupils of Paget Road School together with Jack Hughes Snr combined to form a football team.-History:...
, before signing as a professional for Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
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 August 1946. In two seasons with the Saddlers, Lishman scored 26 goals in 59 league appearances.
He was signed by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the summer of 1948 for £10,500, as backup for Reg Lewis
Reg Lewis
Reginald "Reg" Lewis was an English footballer.Born in Bilston, Staffordshire, Lewis spent his entire career at Arsenal. He joined the club as a schoolboy in 1935, and scored on his debut against Everton on January 1, 1938. He made only four appearances in 1937-38, however, and as a result missed...
, who was only 28 but becoming ever more frequently injured. Lishman made his debut against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on September 4, 1948, but after a promising first season (scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances), Lishman's 1949-50
1949-50 in English football
The 1949–50 season was the 70th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth retained the First Division title by one of the narrowest margins in history ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C....
and 1950-51
1950-51 in English football
The 1950–51 season was the 71st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Tottenham Hotspur won their first League Championship, while Newcastle United defeated Blackpool 2–0 to win their fourth F.A. Cup. They would win it twice more over the next four seasons. The league was expanded...
seasons were marred by injury. Lishman was passed over for the 1950 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final (which Arsenal won 2-0), in favour of Lewis and Peter Goring
Peter Goring
Harry Goring was an English footballer.Born in Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire, Goring first played for local Southern League side Cheltenham Town, making a name for himself as a prolific centre forward...
, and then just as he came back into the Arsenal first team, he broke his leg
Broken Leg
Broken Leg is an indie rock song written and recorded by Australian indie rock band Bluejuice. The song was voted no. 5 in the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100. The accompanying music video was voted in at no. 1 on Rage's RAGE FIFTY countdown that was voted for by viewers and shown on the last weekend of...
playing against Stoke City
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 December 1950.
However, Lishman recovered to become Arsenal's top scorer in 1950-51, and the next season hit 30 goals, including three hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s in three successive home matches; Arsenal finished third that season. The following season (1951-52
1951-52 in English football
The 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
) they reached the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final
FA Cup Final 1952
The 1952 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1951-52 staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup , English football's main cup competition. The match was contested by Newcastle United and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 3 May 1952...
, only to lose to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
; a series of injuries meant only eight fit players finished the match (no substitutes were allowed in those days). Lishman came close for Arsenal with a header, which clipped the crossbar, but Arsenal lost 1-0.
Lishman's disappointment was soon forgotten, as Arsenal won the League Championship
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1952-53
1952-53 in English football
The 1952–53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:This was the closest championship win in English league history at the time, with Arsenal claiming the title by just 0.099 of a goal. Both Arsenal and Preston had identical records aside from their goal averages...
. Lishman was again Arsenal's top scorer, this time with 26, and with every goal proving vital – Arsenal won the title on goal average above Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. His form was good enough for him to be picked for an England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
match against Scotland B
Scotland B national football team
The Scotland B national football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is a secondary football team of Scotland, run occasionally as support for the Scotland national football team as a second string side to the first team....
in March 1953, although he was never capped for the full national side.
Lishman was top scorer for another two seasons after that, making it five successive seasons as the club's top scorer in total. In all he scored 137 goals in 244 appearances, making him the club's seventh-highest goalscorer of all time. With younger men like Derek Tapscott
Derek Tapscott
Derek Robert Tapscott was a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international.-Early life:Born in Barry, to Florence and Stanley, Tapscott was one of sixteen children. As a child he began attending High Street Junior School in August 1936 where he remained until leaving school at the...
and David Herd
David Herd (footballer)
David George Herd is a Scottish former international association footballer. His regular position was as a forward where he was a consistent goal scorer.-Family:...
taking over goalscoring duties for Arsenal, however, Lishman was dropped from the first team in 1955-56
1955-56 in English football
The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England. The First Division was won by Manchester United, the fourth time they had won that particular accolade.-Awards:Football Writers' Association...
.
In March 1956 he was sold to Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. He scored a hat-trick in the match that got Forest promoted (a 4-0 win over Sheffield United) to Division One in 1956-57
1956-57 in English football
The 1956–57 season was the 77th season of competitive football in England.Manchester United won the First Division to become English football champions for the fifth time. Tottenham Hotspur were runners-up. In the Second Division it was Leicester City who finished in top spot, ahead of East...
, but decided to retire in the summer of 1957. He left the game entirely after retiring. He joined his father-in law in business (furniture retail) in Stoke on Trent, later taking over the business himself. He continued to live in Stoke on Trent until his death in 1994.