Fred Geary
Encyclopedia
Fred Geary was an English professional footballer who played at centre forward for Everton
in the 1890s, and made two appearances for England, scoring a hat-trick on his debut.
At Everton, he was a prolific goal-scorer, with 86 goals in 99 appearances, helping them to win the Football League championship for the first time in 1890–91
. He was "the first Everton centre-forward to capture the imagination of their supporters" and "in his era he was as important to Everton as Dixie Dean
was some years later".
, on the outskirts of Nottingham
. As a boy he won many sprinting titles on the athletics track, and was to use this speed to great effect during his football career. He played youth football for local side Balmoral before joining Notts Rangers
. After spells with Grimsby Town
and Notts County
, he returned to Notts Rangers in 1888, where he played in front of future England internationals Alf
and Charles Shelton. Everton
had tried to sign him earlier, and eventually persuaded Geary to move to Liverpool
in 1889.
, having scored only 35 goals and the directors "were determined to improve upon their indifferent performances", especially in front of the goal, by recruiting Geary, along with Scotsman Alex Latta
(from Dumbarton
) and Welshman Charlie Parry
(from Chester St Oswald's). Geary had first been spotted at Grimsby Town, but had moved back to Notts Rangers before he was persuaded to join Everton.
Geary was described as "small and powerful", standing at barely and weighing . He relied on his pace and acceleration to get away from defenders and, according to the Liverpool Echo
, "his team-mates complained that he was sometimes too quick, leaving the ball or his strike partners behind with his turbo-charged bursts".
Geary made his Football League debut for Everton on 7 September 1889 at home (then at Anfield
) to Blackburn Rovers
and scored twice in a 3–2 victory. He soon began to form a prolific scoring partnership with Latta, well supported by Edgar Chadwick
and Alf Milward
, and later in the season by Alexander Brady. Geary scored regularly throughout the season, including a hat-trick in an 8–0 demolition of Stoke City
on 4 November. He ended the season with 21 league goals in 18 matches, as Everton finished runners-up, two points behind Preston North End
. Geary had also scored four FA Cup
goals, including a hat-trick in an 11–2 victory over Derby County
on 18 January (with three goals also from Milward and Brady). This remains Everton's highest margin of victory in any competition.
On 15 March 1890, Geary was called up by the England
selectors to play against Ireland in the 1890 British Home Championship
. England also played against Wales
on the same day, and the selectors picked a mainly amateur team to play at Wrexham
(winning 3–1), while the players selected for the match against the Irish at Ballynafeigh Park, Belfast
were mainly professional, including five players from Blackburn Rovers
. England easily overcame the Irish by a 9–1 margin, with Geary scoring a hat-trick, and a pair each from William Townley
and Kenny Davenport
. The Irish goal was scored by Jack Reynolds
, who later played for England. According to Cris Freddi
, "a (not altogether coherent) match report in The Field credits Geary with four goals, and a (very confused) summary in The Athletic News maintains that 'the clever little Everton centre was responsible for five of the goals, and beauties they were'." Despite the margin of victory, the England selectors did not use any of the team that defeated the Irish for the next match against Scotland
, preferring the team that had played against Wales. The match against Scotland was a 1–1 draw, and, thus, England and Scotland shared the 1890 British Home Championship title.
Geary started the 1890–91 season in superb form, scoring in each of the first six matches as Everton started the season with five straight victories. By mid-January, Everton had completed all but one of their fixtures and were on 29 points, while Preston North End
were eleven points adrift with seven games still to play. Everton than had to sit out the next two months as Preston completed their fixture list until they were only two points adrift with one match each left to play. Both teams played their final games of the season on 14 March, with Everton losing 3–2 at Burnley
(Geary scored both Everton goals) and Preston going down 3–0 at Sunderland
. Everton were thus able to win the Football League Championship for the first time, by a margin of two points with fourteen victories from their 22 league games. Geary had been ever-present, and was the club's top goal-scorer with 21 goals.
Geary earned his second (and last) England cap for the match against Scotland on 6 April 1891. Although the match was played at Ewood Park
, Blackburn, not one Blackburn player was selected, with the selectors opting for four players from Everton's championship winning team, with Geary lining up alongside Edgar Chadwick
and Alf Milward
(with Johnny Holt
in defence). In a close game, England managed to hold on to a 2–1 victory with goals from John Goodall
(Derby County
) and Chadwick.
Geary started the 1891–92 season well, with four goals from the first five games until injury put him out of action for several months, with Alan Maxwell
taking his place. Geary was able to return for the last five games of the season, scoring twice more as Everton ended the season in fifth place.
In the summer of 1892, Everton move out of their original home at Anfield
after John Houlding
, the leaseholder of the stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton, who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to Goodison Park
. Geary scored the first goal at the new stadium in a friendly against Bolton Wanderers
to celebrate the opening. The first league game at Goodison Park took place on 3 September 1892 with Nottingham Forest
supplying the opposition. The game ended in a 2–2 draw with the honour of scoring the first competitive goal at Goodison going to Forest’s Horace Pike, with the first Everton goal coming from Geary. The team’s first league victory at their new ground came in the next home game when they crushed Newton Heath
6–0, with Geary and Chadwick each scoring twice.
Geary failed to score for the next six games, before he and Alex Latta
each scored hat-tricks in a 6–1 victory over Derby County
on 5 November. Geary ended the league season as the club's top scorer (for the third time in four seasons) with 19 goals from 24 league appearances, as Everton finished third in the league table. Geary played in the first three matches of the FA Cup
run, scoring four goals before a leg injury resulted in him missing the semi-final against Preston North End
. Everton eventually defeated Preston after a second replay to set up a final against Wolverhampton Wanderers
. Although Geary was now fit, he was not picked for the Final
to be played at Fallowfield
, Manchester
on 25 March, with Alan Maxwell retaining his place at centre-forward. Wolves won the match with a goal from their captain, Harry Allen
, as the Everton forwards were unable to break down Wolves' defence.
Injury prevented Geary making an appearance at the start of the 1893–94 season, and he lost his place at centre-forward to Jack Southworth
who had arrived from Blackburn Rovers
during the summer. Geary's first game of the season was against Burnley
on 25 November 1893, when he scored in a 4–3 victory. He retained his place for the next two matches, before Southworth returned to the side. Geary completed the season having played only nine matches, scoring eight goals. The season ended with Everton in a disappointing sixth place, with Southworth top scorer in the Football League with a tally of 27 goals from just 22 games.
Injury again kept Geary out of the team until January 1895, and he was only able to make eight appearances with four goals in his final season at Goodison Park. His final appearance came on 13 April 1895, when he scored in a 2–3 defeat to Derby County
. In his Everton career, he made 99 appearances in league and cup matches, scoring 86 goals.
on 7 September. His first goals came when he was one of three players who scored twice in a 6–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra
on 7 October. He made a total of 19 league appearances in 1895–96, scoring 11 goals as Liverpool took the Second Division title. Liverpool then had to play a series of "Test matches" against Small Heath and West Bromwich Albion
with Liverpool securing their promotion at the expense of Small Heath.
By now his pace had been eroded and he was stricken by injuries, and he was only selected eight times as Liverpool finished fifth in the First Division at the end of the 1896–97 season. He made a further twelve appearances over the next two seasons, before his last appearance for Liverpool on 17 September 1898. In his four seasons at Anfield
he made a total of 45 appearances with 14 goals.
as a groundsman.
He died on 8 January 1955, a fortnight short of his 87th birthday.
Liverpool
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the 1890s, and made two appearances for England, scoring a hat-trick on his debut.
At Everton, he was a prolific goal-scorer, with 86 goals in 99 appearances, helping them to win the Football League championship for the first time in 1890–91
Everton F.C. season 1890-91
-Regular Football League First team:-Other members of the title winning squad:Having finished the previous season as runners up Everton made just one signing of note during the summer when William Campbell was brought from Bootle to fill the centre half role, which had remained unsettled since...
. He was "the first Everton centre-forward to capture the imagination of their supporters" and "in his era he was as important to Everton as Dixie Dean
Dixie Dean
William Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...
was some years later".
Early days
Geary was born at Hyson GreenHyson Green
Hyson Green is an area of Nottingham, England. It is the second most popular shopping area after the city centre and is now home to a variety of cultures with a thriving local economy...
, on the outskirts of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. As a boy he won many sprinting titles on the athletics track, and was to use this speed to great effect during his football career. He played youth football for local side Balmoral before joining Notts Rangers
Notts Rangers F.C.
Notts Rangers Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1868.-History:A founder member of the Midland Football League, Notts Rangers participated in the FA Cup in 1885-86, 1887-88 and 1888-89.-Famous players:...
. After spells with Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, he returned to Notts Rangers in 1888, where he played in front of future England internationals Alf
Alf Shelton
Alfred "Alf" Shelton was an English international footballer, who played as a left half. His brother Charles was also a professional footballer.-Career:...
and Charles Shelton. Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
had tried to sign him earlier, and eventually persuaded Geary to move to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1889.
Everton
Everton had finished in a disappointing eighth position in the inaugural Football League seasonThe Football League 1888–89
The 1888–1889 Football League Championship was the first edition of the Football League, which ran from the autumn of 1888 until the spring of 1889...
, having scored only 35 goals and the directors "were determined to improve upon their indifferent performances", especially in front of the goal, by recruiting Geary, along with Scotsman Alex Latta
Alex Latta
Alex Latta was a Scottish footballer who made ten appearances, mostly at outside right, in Everton's Football League title winning side of 1890/91....
(from Dumbarton
Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...
) and Welshman Charlie Parry
Charlie Parry
Charles Frederick "Charlie" Parry was a Welsh footballer who played as a defender for Everton in the 1890s, helping them to win the Football League championship in 1891. He also made thirteen appearances for the Wales national football team including four as captain...
(from Chester St Oswald's). Geary had first been spotted at Grimsby Town, but had moved back to Notts Rangers before he was persuaded to join Everton.
Geary was described as "small and powerful", standing at barely and weighing . He relied on his pace and acceleration to get away from defenders and, according to the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
, "his team-mates complained that he was sometimes too quick, leaving the ball or his strike partners behind with his turbo-charged bursts".
Geary made his Football League debut for Everton on 7 September 1889 at home (then at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
) to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and scored twice in a 3–2 victory. He soon began to form a prolific scoring partnership with Latta, well supported by Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Wallace Chadwick was a left-sided footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton during the 1890s...
and Alf Milward
Alf Milward
Alfred Weatherell Milward was a professional footballer who played in the 1893 and 1897 FA Cup Finals for Everton and in the 1900 FA Cup Final for Southampton.-Playing career:...
, and later in the season by Alexander Brady. Geary scored regularly throughout the season, including a hat-trick in an 8–0 demolition of 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...
on 4 November. He ended the season with 21 league goals in 18 matches, as Everton finished runners-up, two points behind 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...
. Geary had also scored four 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...
goals, including a hat-trick in an 11–2 victory over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 18 January (with three goals also from Milward and Brady). This remains Everton's highest margin of victory in any competition.
On 15 March 1890, Geary was called up by 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...
selectors to play against Ireland in the 1890 British Home Championship
1890 British Home Championship
The 1890 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The seventh such competition held, the 1890 edition was, for the second time, jointly won by England and Scotland, the sixth time that Scotland had won...
. England also played against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
on the same day, and the selectors picked a mainly amateur team to play at Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
(winning 3–1), while the players selected for the match against the Irish at Ballynafeigh Park, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
were mainly professional, including five players from Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. England easily overcame the Irish by a 9–1 margin, with Geary scoring a hat-trick, and a pair each from William Townley
William Townley
William "Billy" Townley, , was an English football player and coach.He scored the first hat-trick in the history of the FA Cup final, but his lasting legacy is defined as an important pioneer of the game in Germany and as a journeyman coach on the continent.-Playing career:Townley's career as a...
and Kenny Davenport
Kenny Davenport
James Kenyon Davenport, known as Kenny Davenport was an English international footballer, who played as an inside right.-Career:...
. The Irish goal was scored by Jack Reynolds
Jack Reynolds (footballer born 1869)
John "Jack" Reynolds was a footballer who played for, among others, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Celtic. As an international he played five times for Ireland before it emerged that he was actually English and he subsequently played eight times for England...
, who later played for England. According to Cris Freddi
Cris Freddi
Cris Freddi is a British author.Freddi was born in Reading, England. He was educated at Reading School and then Oxford University, where he was lead singer in the Les Milkins Band. Since then, he has written books on sport, short stories and novels. He has also written articles for the football...
, "a (not altogether coherent) match report in The Field credits Geary with four goals, and a (very confused) summary in The Athletic News maintains that 'the clever little Everton centre was responsible for five of the goals, and beauties they were'." Despite the margin of victory, the England selectors did not use any of the team that defeated the Irish for the next match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, preferring the team that had played against Wales. The match against Scotland was a 1–1 draw, and, thus, England and Scotland shared the 1890 British Home Championship title.
Geary started the 1890–91 season in superb form, scoring in each of the first six matches as Everton started the season with five straight victories. By mid-January, Everton had completed all but one of their fixtures and were on 29 points, while 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...
were eleven points adrift with seven games still to play. Everton than had to sit out the next two months as Preston completed their fixture list until they were only two points adrift with one match each left to play. Both teams played their final games of the season on 14 March, with Everton losing 3–2 at Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
(Geary scored both Everton goals) and Preston going down 3–0 at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. Everton were thus able to win the Football League Championship for the first time, by a margin of two points with fourteen victories from their 22 league games. Geary had been ever-present, and was the club's top goal-scorer with 21 goals.
Geary earned his second (and last) England cap for the match against Scotland on 6 April 1891. Although the match was played at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
, Blackburn, not one Blackburn player was selected, with the selectors opting for four players from Everton's championship winning team, with Geary lining up alongside Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Chadwick
Edgar Wallace Chadwick was a left-sided footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton during the 1890s...
and Alf Milward
Alf Milward
Alfred Weatherell Milward was a professional footballer who played in the 1893 and 1897 FA Cup Finals for Everton and in the 1900 FA Cup Final for Southampton.-Playing career:...
(with Johnny Holt
Johnny Holt
Johnny Holt was an English professional footballer who played in twenty-one of Everton's twenty-two game Football League title winning side of 1890–91....
in defence). In a close game, England managed to hold on to a 2–1 victory with goals from John Goodall
John Goodall
John Goodall was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903...
(Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
) and Chadwick.
Geary started the 1891–92 season well, with four goals from the first five games until injury put him out of action for several months, with Alan Maxwell
Alan Maxwell
Alan Maxwell was a former professional footballer, where he played in the Football League for Stoke for whom He made thirthy one appearances. He also Played for Everton and Darwen.- Career statistics :-References:...
taking his place. Geary was able to return for the last five games of the season, scoring twice more as Everton ended the season in fifth place.
In the summer of 1892, Everton move out of their original home at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
after John Houlding
John Houlding
John Houlding was an English businessman, most notable for being Lord Mayor of Liverpool, and the founder of Liverpool Football Club.-Biography:Houlding was self-made businessman in the city of Liverpool...
, the leaseholder of the stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton, who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. Geary scored the first goal at the new stadium in a friendly against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
to celebrate the opening. The first league game at Goodison Park took place on 3 September 1892 with 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...
supplying the opposition. The game ended in a 2–2 draw with the honour of scoring the first competitive goal at Goodison going to Forest’s Horace Pike, with the first Everton goal coming from Geary. The team’s first league victory at their new ground came in the next home game when they crushed Newton Heath
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
6–0, with Geary and Chadwick each scoring twice.
Geary failed to score for the next six games, before he and Alex Latta
Alex Latta
Alex Latta was a Scottish footballer who made ten appearances, mostly at outside right, in Everton's Football League title winning side of 1890/91....
each scored hat-tricks in a 6–1 victory over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 5 November. Geary ended the league season as the club's top scorer (for the third time in four seasons) with 19 goals from 24 league appearances, as Everton finished third in the league table. Geary played in the first three matches of 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...
run, scoring four goals before a leg injury resulted in him missing the semi-final against 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...
. Everton eventually defeated Preston after a second replay to set up a final against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. Although Geary was now fit, he was not picked for the Final
1893 FA Cup Final
The 1893 FA Cup Final was an association football game contested by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton. Wolves won by a single goal, scored by Harry Allen....
to be played at Fallowfield
Fallowfield Stadium
Fallowfield Stadium was an athletics stadium and velodrome in Fallowfield, Manchester, England. It opened in May 1892 as the home of Manchester Athletics Club after it was forced to move from its home next to Old Trafford Cricket Ground...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
on 25 March, with Alan Maxwell retaining his place at centre-forward. Wolves won the match with a goal from their captain, Harry Allen
Harry Allen (footballer)
Harry Allen was an English international footballer, who played most of his career for Wolverhampton Wanderers, and was their captain.-Career:...
, as the Everton forwards were unable to break down Wolves' defence.
Injury prevented Geary making an appearance at the start of the 1893–94 season, and he lost his place at centre-forward to Jack Southworth
Jack Southworth
John Southworth , was a footballer who played in the early days of professional football for Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as being capped three times for England...
who had arrived from Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
during the summer. Geary's first game of the season was against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on 25 November 1893, when he scored in a 4–3 victory. He retained his place for the next two matches, before Southworth returned to the side. Geary completed the season having played only nine matches, scoring eight goals. The season ended with Everton in a disappointing sixth place, with Southworth top scorer in the Football League with a tally of 27 goals from just 22 games.
Injury again kept Geary out of the team until January 1895, and he was only able to make eight appearances with four goals in his final season at Goodison Park. His final appearance came on 13 April 1895, when he scored in a 2–3 defeat to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. In his Everton career, he made 99 appearances in league and cup matches, scoring 86 goals.
Liverpool
In May 1895, he signed for Liverpool (who had just been relegated to the Second Division) for a fee of £60, making his debut in a 2–3 defeat at Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on 7 September. His first goals came when he was one of three players who scored twice in a 6–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
on 7 October. He made a total of 19 league appearances in 1895–96, scoring 11 goals as Liverpool took the Second Division title. Liverpool then had to play a series of "Test matches" against Small Heath and West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
with Liverpool securing their promotion at the expense of Small Heath.
By now his pace had been eroded and he was stricken by injuries, and he was only selected eight times as Liverpool finished fifth in the First Division at the end of the 1896–97 season. He made a further twelve appearances over the next two seasons, before his last appearance for Liverpool on 17 September 1898. In his four seasons at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
he made a total of 45 appearances with 14 goals.
Later life
Geary subsequently returned to Goodison ParkGoodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
as a groundsman.
He died on 8 January 1955, a fortnight short of his 87th birthday.
Honours
EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
- Football LeagueFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
champions: 1890–91
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
champions: 1895–96