Seth Powell
Encyclopedia
Seth Powell was a Welsh footballer who played at full-back for West Bromwich Albion
in the English Football League. He made seven appearances for Wales
in the 1880s and 1890s.
and played his early football in the nearby village of Summerhill
. In 1883, he moved just over the border into England to become assistant schoolmaster at the Oswestry
Board School.
He played for two Oswestry based football clubs; firstly with Oswestry White Stars with whom he won the Welsh Cup
in 1884 and reached the final the following year. He then joined Oswestry Town
where he remained until 1890.
His first international cap came on 23 March 1885 at the Racecourse Ground
in Wrexham when the Welsh suffered an 8–1 defeat at the hands of Scotland
, with Joseph Lindsay
scoring a hat-trick. He was recalled to the side the following year for matches against Ireland and England.
Towards the end of the 1889–90 season, Powell joined West Bromwich Albion
of the Football League
on a wage of £2 per game plus expenses. He remained with Albion for two years during which they finished each season at or near the foot of the table. Whist with Albion, he made a further four appearances for Wales, all of which ended in defeats.
Powell then spent a season with Burton Swifts
without making any League appearances before moving to Chester
, then playing in The Combination
, before returning to Oswestry United.
. He also served Oswestry F.C. as secretary and spent twenty years in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
Powell also played in the first match against a touring Canadian XI in September 1891.
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...
in the English Football League. He made seven appearances for 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...
in the 1880s and 1890s.
Football career
Powell was born in Cerney, near WrexhamWrexham
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...
and played his early football in the nearby village of Summerhill
Summerhill, Wrexham
Summerhill is a semi-urban village in the suburbs of Wrexham, Wales and forms part of the community of Gwersyllt.-Industry and History:In the 19th and early 20th century, Summerhill was predominately focused around local farming or coalmining industries, however there was also nearby Brymbo...
. In 1883, he moved just over the border into England to become assistant schoolmaster at the Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
Board School.
He played for two Oswestry based football clubs; firstly with Oswestry White Stars with whom he won the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
in 1884 and reached the final the following year. He then joined Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
where he remained until 1890.
His first international cap came on 23 March 1885 at the Racecourse Ground
Racecourse Ground
The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
in Wrexham when the Welsh suffered an 8–1 defeat at the hands of 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...
, with Joseph Lindsay
Joseph Lindsay
Joseph Lindsay was a Scottish footballer who played for Dumbarton, Rangers, Renton and the Scotland national team.With Dumbarton he won the Scottish Cup in 1883. He won a total of 8 caps for Scotland between 1880 and 1886, scoring 6 goals.-International goals:-External links:...
scoring a hat-trick. He was recalled to the side the following year for matches against Ireland and England.
Towards the end of the 1889–90 season, Powell joined 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...
of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
on a wage of £2 per game plus expenses. He remained with Albion for two years during which they finished each season at or near the foot of the table. Whist with Albion, he made a further four appearances for Wales, all of which ended in defeats.
Powell then spent a season with Burton Swifts
Burton Swifts F.C.
Burton Swifts were an English football club from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club ceased to exist in 1901 when they merged with Burton Wanderers to form Burton United.-History:...
without making any League appearances before moving to Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, then playing in The Combination
The Combination
The Combination was a minor league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across the Northern England and the Midlands, and was wound up before completion. The second was created for the 1890–91 season, but disbanded...
, before returning to Oswestry United.
Later career
From 1900 until his retirement in 1930, Powell was the district relieving officer for the Oswestry Board of GuardiansBoard of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
. He also served Oswestry F.C. as secretary and spent twenty years in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
International appearances
Powell made seven appearances for Wales as follows:| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goals | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 March 1885 | Racecourse Ground Racecourse Ground The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League... , 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... |
1–8 | 0 | Friendly | |
| 27 February 1886 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 5–0 | 0 | British Home Championship 1886 British Home Championship The 1886 British Home Championship was the third annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. As common for the time, the matches were punctuated by some high scorelines and for the first time two teams finished level on points at the top of the table, thus... |
|
| 29 March 1886 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 1–3 | 0 | British Home Championship | |
| 7 March 1891 | Newcastle Road Newcastle Road Newcastle Road was a football ground in Sunderland, England, and was the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C until 1898. It was the fifth ground at which the club had played and their first proper stadium. The ground was located between Newcastle Road, Eglinton Street North and Down Crozier Street... , Sunderland |
1–4 | 0 | British Home Championship 1891 British Home Championship The 1891 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. Despite strong showings from all four teams, England eventually won the trophy with victories in all three games including, as at the 1890 and 1892 competitions, matches against Wales and... |
|
| 21 March 1891 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 3–4 | 0 | British Home Championship | |
| 5 March 1892 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 0–2 | 0 | British Home Championship 1892 British Home Championship The 1892 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by England who won all three games against their rivals, even though they played two games on the same day against Wales and Ireland, providing a... |
|
| 26 March 1892 | Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... |
1–6 | 0 | British Home Championship | |
Powell also played in the first match against a touring Canadian XI in September 1891.
Honours
Oswestry White Stars- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
- Winners: 1884
- Finalists: 1885