Jack Farrell (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Farrell was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Farrell played in the Football League
for Stoke
and New Brighton Tower
and played a major part in Southern league
club Southampton's
major cup runs at the turn of the 20th Century.
and started his football career at Dresden United
before joining Stoke in October 1894 for a fee of £40. In his first season in the Football League, he made 16 league appearances, scoring six goals as Stoke finished the season in 14th place and had to play-off against Newton Heath
to retain their First Division
status. Stoke easily overcame their Second Division opponents with Farrell scoring one of the three goals (the others came from Joe Schofield
).
In the spring of 1895, Charles Robson
, the newly appointed secretary/manager of Southampton St. Mary's, and Alfred McMinn
, one of the club committee, visited "the Potteries" in search of new players to strengthen the team ready for their second season
in the Southern League
. McMinn was a native of Staffordshire and was "most persuasive on his home turf". On this trip, Robson and McMinn signed six players: Farrell, Samuel Meston
and Willie Naughton
from Stoke, Watty Keay
from Derby County
, Joe Turner
from Dresden United
and Alf Wood from Burslem Port Vale
, as well as recruiting Stoke's long-serving trainer, Bill Dawson. The Saints committee were anxious to secure their services and signed then before the Football League
season was over. Port Vale and Stoke lodged a complaint with the Football Association about "poaching", and an emergency FA meeting was held at Sheffield
, resulting in the Saints being severely censured for negligence. St Mary's were ordered to pay their own costs, plus £4 6s 3d to Stoke and £1 13s to Port Vale. McMinn was suspended for a year and Dawson for a month. Wood's registration with St Mary's was cancelled (shortly afterwards he moved to Stoke).
, the local press described Farrell as "fast, tricky and reliable" – he soon justified his reputation with a series of impressive displays as centre-forward. He made his debut for "the Saints" in the opening match of the season, a 1–0 defeat at champions Millwall Athletic. Saints started the season with five away matches, four of which were defeats, with Farrell scoring twice in the only victory, a 2–1 win over Royal Ordnance Factories
on 5 October. Eventually, under trainer Dawson's guidance, the team's form improved and there were only two further league defeats as the team ended the season in third place, with Farrell top-scorer with ten league goals from his 17 appearances, plus four goals from five FA Cup
matches. In addition to the Southern League and FA Cup matches, the club were involved in several high-scoring friendly matches, including a 9–0 victory over the Dublin Fusiliers, a 9–1 victory over the Manchester Regiment and a 13–0 victory over the City Ramblers, in each of which Farrell scored five goals.
Farrell was again top-scorer in 1896–97
as his 13 goals from 20 appearances (ever-present) helped the Saints claim the Southern League title for the first time, going the whole league season without defeat. By now team captain, Farrell received the Championship shield from Dr. Russell Bencraft
, who was both president of the League and of the club, at a ceremony in the Artillery Drill Hall in Southampton. In the FA Cup, the Saints reached the Second Round Proper where they were defeated 3–1 at Newton Heath
in a replay. Farrell played in all seven cup matches, scoring seven goals, including a hat-trick
in an 8–2 victory over Swindon Town
at the County Ground
on 2 January 1897.
In 1898
, Farrell helped guide the Saints to the semi-finals of the FA Cup
, scoring in the emphatic 4–0 victory over First Division Bolton Wanderers
in the quarter-finals. Farrell was injured in the first semi-final match, a 1–1 draw with Nottingham Forest
, and took no part in the replay when Southampton were eliminated in a controversial 2–0 defeat in a blizzard. After a scoreless first half (in which Joe Turner
missed a penalty for Southampton), in the second half Saints were on top when, with ten minutes left to play, referee John Lewis
stopped the match for a time and the players left the pitch. No sooner had the game re-started than the weather worsened but the referee decided that the match should continue. The Saints' goalkeeper, George Clawley
, had his eyes "choked with snow" and conceded two goals in the final minutes of the game. Despite Southampton's protests the F.A.
decided that the result should stand – this was perhaps not surprising as Lewis was an eminent member of the F.A. board.
As a result of the injury sustained in the FA Cup semi-final, Farrell missed most of the last six weeks of the League season, with David Steven
coming into the side at inside-right to replace Robert Buchanan
who took Farrell's place at centre-forward, to guide the Saints to the Southern League title for the second successive season.
. Farrell was unable to reproduce his goal-scoring form at the Victoria Ground
, scoring just four goals from 22 appearances in the Football League First Division
, with Stoke finishing the season
in 12th place.
who had moved on to Woolwich Arsenal. Both he and the club started the League season well with twelve wins from the first fifteen games, in which Farrell scored eleven goals, until an injury in February put Farrell out for several weeks, allowing Roddy McLeod
to stake a claim for the centre-forward position. Although Farrell returned to the side in mid-March after a run of three league defeats, he was unable to find the form of the early part of the season and was in and out of the side, scoring only once from his last six appearances. Southampton finished the season in a disappointing third place having lost five of their last seven games.
In the FA Cup, Farrell and McLeod also vied for the No.9 shirt. Farrell had played in the First Round match against Everton
before sustaining a dislocated collar-bone against Newcastle United
in the Second Round on 10 February. This match was abandoned after 55 minutes because of heavy snow and in the rematch a week later Farrell was replaced by McLeod who scored twice in a 4–1 victory. Although McLeod had scored three goals in the first three rounds, the selectors decided to play Farrell in the semi-final against Millwall
(won 3–0 after a replay on 28 March) and in the Cup Final
, played on 21 April at Crystal Palace
against Bury
of the Football League First Division
. On the day, the Southampton team failed to produce anything like their best form, conceding three goals in the first 20 minutes to eventually lose 4–0. The poor result was blamed by the local press on internal bickering between the English and Scottish players in the team, with the Scots favouring McLeod rather than the English Farrell. This was confirmed by an article in the Southampton Pictorial twelve years later:
It was clear that Farrell had fallen out of favour and had upset Southampton's football journalists after physically threatening one of them after he had published criticism of Farrell, whereas McLeod had deputised successfully for him and had made himself popular with both the fans and the press. Whilst Farrell had the better skill when fully fit he tended to be temperamental and many of the team preferred McLeod for his more selfless contribution to the side.
In the event, both players left the club at the end of the season with McLeod moving to Brentford
and Farrell joining New Brighton Tower
.
at the end of which they finished in a creditable fourth place in the table but were forced to fold because of financial difficulties.
He then returned to the Southern League
with Northampton Town
for the 1901–02 season. On 29 December 1901, he returned to The Dell with Northampton, but was on the wrong end of an 11–0 scoreline, with Farrell's eventual replacement Albert Brown scoring seven of the goals.
Farrell's football career ended with a season at West Ham United
where he played 20 Southern League matches, scoring three goals. His penultimate appearance was back at The Dell when he was once again on the losing side, as West Ham lost 6–0 to the Saints (with a hat-trick from England
international Archie Turner) who thus claimed the Southern League title for the fifth time in seven years.
where he became a publican.
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...
for 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...
and New Brighton Tower
New Brighton Tower F.C.
New Brighton Tower F.C. was a short-lived English football club based in New Brighton, Merseyside. Established in 1896, the club spent three seasons in the Football League before folding in 1901. They played at the 80,000-capacity Tower Athletic Grounds....
and played a major part in Southern league
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
club Southampton's
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
major cup runs at the turn of the 20th Century.
Early career
Farrell was born in Tunstall, StaffordshireTunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
and started his football career at Dresden United
Dresden United F.C.
Dresden United Football Club were a football club based in the Dresden area of Stoke-on-Trent who were active at the end of the nineteenth century....
before joining Stoke in October 1894 for a fee of £40. In his first season in the Football League, he made 16 league appearances, scoring six goals as Stoke finished the season in 14th place and had to play-off against 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...
to retain their First Division
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....
status. Stoke easily overcame their Second Division opponents with Farrell scoring one of the three goals (the others came from Joe Schofield
Joe Schofield
Joseph Alfred Schofield was an English footballer and later football manager.A winger, he played for Stoke between 1891 and 1899, winning himself three England caps in the process. He was later appointed as Stoke's manager in 1915, before he left the post in 1919 to take up the reigns at nearby...
).
In the spring of 1895, Charles Robson
Charles Robson
Charles Robson was an English cricketer, who played as a wicket-keeper for Middlesex between 1881 and 1883, and for Hampshire from 1891 to 1906, for whom he served as captain for three years from 1900 to 1902....
, the newly appointed secretary/manager of Southampton St. Mary's, and Alfred McMinn
Alfred McMinn
Alfred McMinn, was an English manager for Southampton F.C. from August 1896 to May 1897.-References:...
, one of the club committee, visited "the Potteries" in search of new players to strengthen the team ready for their second season
1895–96 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season
The 1895–96 season was the eleventh since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their second in league football, as members of the Southern League. They finished the league season in third place behind the previous season's champions, Millwall Athletic, and Luton Town...
in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
. McMinn was a native of Staffordshire and was "most persuasive on his home turf". On this trip, Robson and McMinn signed six players: Farrell, Samuel Meston
Samuel Meston
Samuel Meston was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a half-back for Stoke and Southampton. Whilst with Southampton, he appeared in two FA Cup Finals and won six Southern League championship medals and was the only player ever to do so.-Playing career:Meston was born in Arbroath and...
and Willie Naughton
Willie Naughton
William A. "Willie" Naughton was a Scottish professional footballer, who played as an outside-forward for various clubs in Scotland and England in the 1880s and 1890s, including Celtic, Stoke and Southampton...
from Stoke, Watty Keay
Watty Keay
Walter "Watty" Keay was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward for various clubs, including Partick Thistle in Scotland and Derby County and Southampton in England...
from 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...
, Joe Turner
Joe Turner (footballer)
Joseph Turner was a professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton. Southampton were a Southern League club at the time, and their feat was all the more remarkable in that they had already been losing finalists two years earlier...
from Dresden United
Dresden United F.C.
Dresden United Football Club were a football club based in the Dresden area of Stoke-on-Trent who were active at the end of the nineteenth century....
and Alf Wood from Burslem Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, as well as recruiting Stoke's long-serving trainer, Bill Dawson. The Saints committee were anxious to secure their services and signed then before 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...
season was over. Port Vale and Stoke lodged a complaint with the Football Association about "poaching", and an emergency FA meeting was held at Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, resulting in the Saints being severely censured for negligence. St Mary's were ordered to pay their own costs, plus £4 6s 3d to Stoke and £1 13s to Port Vale. McMinn was suspended for a year and Dawson for a month. Wood's registration with St Mary's was cancelled (shortly afterwards he moved to Stoke).
Southampton
At the time of his arrival at the Antelope GroundAntelope Ground
The Antelope Ground, Southampton was a sports ground that was the first home of both Hampshire County Cricket Club, who played there prior to 1884, and of Southampton Football Club, who played there from 1887 to 1896 as "Southampton St...
, the local press described Farrell as "fast, tricky and reliable" – he soon justified his reputation with a series of impressive displays as centre-forward. He made his debut for "the Saints" in the opening match of the season, a 1–0 defeat at champions Millwall Athletic. Saints started the season with five away matches, four of which were defeats, with Farrell scoring twice in the only victory, a 2–1 win over Royal Ordnance Factories
Royal Ordnance Factories F.C.
Royal Ordnance Factories Football Club were a football club from south east London, England,that existed in the late 19th century.In 1893, the former workers' team at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, Woolwich Arsenal FC, was by now a professional side and had joined the Football League...
on 5 October. Eventually, under trainer Dawson's guidance, the team's form improved and there were only two further league defeats as the team ended the season in third place, with Farrell top-scorer with ten league goals from his 17 appearances, plus four goals from five 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...
matches. In addition to the Southern League and FA Cup matches, the club were involved in several high-scoring friendly matches, including a 9–0 victory over the Dublin Fusiliers, a 9–1 victory over the Manchester Regiment and a 13–0 victory over the City Ramblers, in each of which Farrell scored five goals.
Farrell was again top-scorer in 1896–97
1896–97 Southampton St. Mary's F.C. season
The 1896–97 season was the twelfth since the foundation of Southampton St. Mary's F.C. and their third in league football, as members of the Southern League. The season was the most successful yet, with St. Mary's claiming the Southern League title for the first time and reaching the Second Round...
as his 13 goals from 20 appearances (ever-present) helped the Saints claim the Southern League title for the first time, going the whole league season without defeat. By now team captain, Farrell received the Championship shield from Dr. Russell Bencraft
Russell Bencraft
Sir Henry William Russell Bencraft CBE MRCS, LRCP was an English cricketer, cricket administrator and medical practitioner. He was born at Southampton, Hampshire.-Hampshire County Cricket Club:...
, who was both president of the League and of the club, at a ceremony in the Artillery Drill Hall in Southampton. In the FA Cup, the Saints reached the Second Round Proper where they were defeated 3–1 at 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...
in a replay. Farrell played in all seven cup matches, scoring seven goals, including a 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...
in an 8–2 victory over Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
at the County Ground
County Ground, Southampton
The County Ground in Southampton, England was a former cricket and football ground. It was the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club from the 1885 English cricket season until the 2000 English cricket season...
on 2 January 1897.
In 1898
1897–98 Southampton F.C. season
The 1897–98 season was the 13th since the foundation of Southampton F.C. and their fourth in league football, as members of the Southern League.The club improved on their performance in the previous successful season, retaining the Southern League title and reaching the Semi-final of the FA Cup for...
, Farrell helped guide the Saints to the semi-finals 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...
, scoring in the emphatic 4–0 victory over First Division 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....
in the quarter-finals. Farrell was injured in the first semi-final match, a 1–1 draw 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...
, and took no part in the replay when Southampton were eliminated in a controversial 2–0 defeat in a blizzard. After a scoreless first half (in which Joe Turner
Joe Turner (footballer)
Joseph Turner was a professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton. Southampton were a Southern League club at the time, and their feat was all the more remarkable in that they had already been losing finalists two years earlier...
missed a penalty for Southampton), in the second half Saints were on top when, with ten minutes left to play, referee John Lewis
John Lewis (referee)
John Lewis was an English football player, administrator and referee. He was born at Market Drayton, Shropshire, but lived most of his life in Lancashire and was primarily associated with Blackburn Rovers F.C...
stopped the match for a time and the players left the pitch. No sooner had the game re-started than the weather worsened but the referee decided that the match should continue. The Saints' goalkeeper, George Clawley
George Clawley
George Clawley was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Stoke, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
, had his eyes "choked with snow" and conceded two goals in the final minutes of the game. Despite Southampton's protests the F.A.
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
decided that the result should stand – this was perhaps not surprising as Lewis was an eminent member of the F.A. board.
As a result of the injury sustained in the FA Cup semi-final, Farrell missed most of the last six weeks of the League season, with David Steven
David Steven
David Steven was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside-forward around the turn of the 20th century, spending most of his career with his hometown club, Dundee, before he died from a heart attack aged only 25....
coming into the side at inside-right to replace Robert Buchanan
Robert Buchanan (footballer)
Robert John Buchanan was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward in the 1890s.-Early career:Born in Johnstone, he started his career as a youth player with Johnstone before joining Abercorn in 1887...
who took Farrell's place at centre-forward, to guide the Saints to the Southern League title for the second successive season.
Return to Stoke
In the 1898 close season, Farrell returned to Stoke together with George Clawley and Joe TurnerJoe Turner (footballer)
Joseph Turner was a professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton. Southampton were a Southern League club at the time, and their feat was all the more remarkable in that they had already been losing finalists two years earlier...
. Farrell was unable to reproduce his goal-scoring form at the Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...
, scoring just four goals from 22 appearances in the Football League First Division
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....
, with Stoke finishing the season
Stoke City F.C. season 1898–99
The 1898–99 season was Stoke's 11th season of league football.-Overview:In the 1898–99 season automatic promotion and relegation was introduced between the First and Second Divisions and the number of teams was increased to 18...
in 12th place.
Return to Southampton
Farrell returned to Southampton, now playing at The Dell, in May 1899 to replace Abe HartleyAbe Hartley
Abraham "Abe" Hartley was a Scottish footballer who played for Everton as a centre forward for five years in the 1890s. He also played for Merseyside rivals Liverpool and for his local club, Dumbarton. His career also included stints at Southampton, Woolwich Arsenal and Burnley at the end of his...
who had moved on to Woolwich Arsenal. Both he and the club started the League season well with twelve wins from the first fifteen games, in which Farrell scored eleven goals, until an injury in February put Farrell out for several weeks, allowing Roddy McLeod
Roddy McLeod
Roderick McLeod was a Scottish professional footballer who was part of the West Bromwich Albion team which won the FA Cup in 1892, and was a losing finalist in 1895.-West Bromwich Albion:...
to stake a claim for the centre-forward position. Although Farrell returned to the side in mid-March after a run of three league defeats, he was unable to find the form of the early part of the season and was in and out of the side, scoring only once from his last six appearances. Southampton finished the season in a disappointing third place having lost five of their last seven games.
In the FA Cup, Farrell and McLeod also vied for the No.9 shirt. Farrell had played in the First Round match against 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...
before sustaining a dislocated collar-bone against 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...
in the Second Round on 10 February. This match was abandoned after 55 minutes because of heavy snow and in the rematch a week later Farrell was replaced by McLeod who scored twice in a 4–1 victory. Although McLeod had scored three goals in the first three rounds, the selectors decided to play Farrell in the semi-final against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
(won 3–0 after a replay on 28 March) and in the Cup Final
1900 FA Cup Final
The 1900 FA Cup Final was contested by Bury and Southampton at Crystal Palace. Bury won 4–0, with goals by Jasper McLuckie , Willie Wood and John Plant. This final was the last of the 19th Century and the first victory in the FA Cup for Bury, who beat a team who similarly had never reached...
, played on 21 April at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
against Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
of the Football League First Division
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....
. On the day, the Southampton team failed to produce anything like their best form, conceding three goals in the first 20 minutes to eventually lose 4–0. The poor result was blamed by the local press on internal bickering between the English and Scottish players in the team, with the Scots favouring McLeod rather than the English Farrell. This was confirmed by an article in the Southampton Pictorial twelve years later:
The cause of the trouble was some little jealousy between the English and the Scottish "schools" in the team. One section wanted McLeod to play at centre forward and the other favoured Farrell. This jealousy, while it disturbed the harmony which was so essential to success, did not develop into disloyalty . . . but matters went badly for the team from the start, and some players, instead of making special efforts to save the game, attributed their non-success to the deliberate flouting of their wishes.
It was clear that Farrell had fallen out of favour and had upset Southampton's football journalists after physically threatening one of them after he had published criticism of Farrell, whereas McLeod had deputised successfully for him and had made himself popular with both the fans and the press. Whilst Farrell had the better skill when fully fit he tended to be temperamental and many of the team preferred McLeod for his more selfless contribution to the side.
In the event, both players left the club at the end of the season with McLeod moving to Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and Farrell joining New Brighton Tower
New Brighton Tower F.C.
New Brighton Tower F.C. was a short-lived English football club based in New Brighton, Merseyside. Established in 1896, the club spent three seasons in the Football League before folding in 1901. They played at the 80,000-capacity Tower Athletic Grounds....
.
Later career
Farrell spent a season at New Brighton Tower in the Football League Second DivisionFootball 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...
at the end of which they finished in a creditable fourth place in the table but were forced to fold because of financial difficulties.
He then returned to the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
with Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
for the 1901–02 season. On 29 December 1901, he returned to The Dell with Northampton, but was on the wrong end of an 11–0 scoreline, with Farrell's eventual replacement Albert Brown scoring seven of the goals.
Farrell's football career ended with a season at West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
where he played 20 Southern League matches, scoring three goals. His penultimate appearance was back at The Dell when he was once again on the losing side, as West Ham lost 6–0 to the Saints (with a hat-trick from 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...
international Archie Turner) who thus claimed the Southern League title for the fifth time in seven years.
Career after football
After retiring from football in the summer of 1903, Farrell returned to his native TunstallTunstall, Staffordshire
Tunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
where he became a publican.
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... |
1894–95 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
| Southampton St. Mary's | 1895–96 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 14 |
| 1896–97 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 20 | |
| 1897–98 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 8 | |
| 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... |
1898–99 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 5 |
| Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
1899–1900 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 12 |
| New Brighton Tower New Brighton Tower F.C. New Brighton Tower F.C. was a short-lived English football club based in New Brighton, Merseyside. Established in 1896, the club spent three seasons in the Football League before folding in 1901. They played at the 80,000-capacity Tower Athletic Grounds.... |
1900–01 | 31 | 6 | 31 | 6 | ||
| Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
1901–02 | | | |||||
| West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
1902–03 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| Career Total | 162 | 59 | 28 | 15 | 190 | 74 | |
Honours
SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Southern LeagueSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
champions: 1896–97 & 1897–98 - FA CupFA CupThe 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...
finalist: 1900