Ernest Hart
Encyclopedia
Ernest Arthur "Ernie" Hart (3 January 1902 - 21 July 1954) was a long-serving British football player for Leeds United
, Mansfield Town
, Tunbridge Wells Rangers and the England
national team in the 1930s.
, Derbyshire
, and showed great promise in Overseal schoolboy and junior football, and later with a side in Doncaster
named Woodlands Wesleyans. His performances brought him to the attention of League club scouts, and in September 1920 he signed for Leeds United. Over the next sixteen seasons he was a first team regular at Elland Road
, and was widely recognised as one of the best centre-halves in the game.
Hart earned 8 England caps between 1928 and 1934, including a memorable appearance in the England team that beat Austria 4-3 in 1932 - the Austria side of the early 1930s were regarded as Continental Europe's strongest side, and had gone 14 matches unbeaten when they met England. His international career should have been longer, but he lost his England place as a result of a ban imposed for swearing at a referee.
In total, Hart made 472 appearances for Leeds, and scored 15 goals.
Between 1936 to 1938 he played for Mansfield Town, then became player manager at Tunbridge Wells Rangers where he stayed until the club folded early in the 2nd World War on January 12th 1940.
, a luxury coach company operating from Doncaster and now nationally known.
He died on 21 July 1954, aged 52. In a poll of the 100 greatest ever Leeds United players, Hart was voted in at number 76.
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, Tunbridge Wells Rangers and the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
national team in the 1930s.
Football career
Hart was born in OversealOverseal
Overseal is a village situated 3 miles south of Swadlincote, in South Derbyshire. It is sometimes locally pronounced as "Ovversale" and is the southernmost settlement in Derbyshire, on the border with Leicestershire.-Geography:...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, and showed great promise in Overseal schoolboy and junior football, and later with a side in Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
named Woodlands Wesleyans. His performances brought him to the attention of League club scouts, and in September 1920 he signed for Leeds United. Over the next sixteen seasons he was a first team regular at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
, and was widely recognised as one of the best centre-halves in the game.
Hart earned 8 England caps between 1928 and 1934, including a memorable appearance in the England team that beat Austria 4-3 in 1932 - the Austria side of the early 1930s were regarded as Continental Europe's strongest side, and had gone 14 matches unbeaten when they met England. His international career should have been longer, but he lost his England place as a result of a ban imposed for swearing at a referee.
In total, Hart made 472 appearances for Leeds, and scored 15 goals.
Between 1936 to 1938 he played for Mansfield Town, then became player manager at Tunbridge Wells Rangers where he stayed until the club folded early in the 2nd World War on January 12th 1940.
After football
On retirement, he bought a bus and began a coach business based in Doncaster as E.A.Hart, which traded as the Beehive Bus Company, this prospered and later was purchased by Wilfreda Coaches soon after they moved to the new HQ at Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster. The joint company trades as Wilfreda BeehiveWilfreda Beehive
Wilfreda Beehive is a coach and bus operator based in Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster.-History:It was formed in 1949 by Bill and Marie Scholey, and remains in family ownership. At first it operated coach services from a depot at Ranskill, near Bawtry...
, a luxury coach company operating from Doncaster and now nationally known.
He died on 21 July 1954, aged 52. In a poll of the 100 greatest ever Leeds United players, Hart was voted in at number 76.