Watty Keay
Encyclopedia
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. His main claim to fame was scoring the first goal at The Dell stadium on its opening on 3 September 1898.
, Scotland
and played as a youth for various local sides before starting his professional career at nearby Partick Thistle
. He later moved south to Darlington
to seek fame and fortune before signing for Derby County
in July 1893.
, John McMillan
and John Goodall
to score. Derby finished third in Division 1 in 1893-94
, scoring 73 goals in 30 games, but in the following season
they finished fifteenth and had to play-off against Liverpool
, who were relegated.
, the newly appointed secretary/manager of Southampton St. Mary's, and Alfred McMinn
, one of the club committee, visited the Midlands 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: Keay, Joe Turner
, Jack Farrell
, Samuel Meston
and Willie Naughton
from Stoke 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).
In the next four seasons, Keay featured regularly as Southampton won the League for three consecutive seasons from 1896–97 to 1898–99. Keay was the catalyst that helped knit the forward line together and he formed a useful partnership with Joe Turner
, with Keay creating the chances for Turner to convert.
In his first season
with Southampton St. Mary's
(who were then playing at the Antelope Ground
) the club finished third in the Southern League
. In the summer of 1896
, the club moved to the County Cricket Ground
. The Saints forward line was boosted by the signing of Bob Buchanan
from Woolwich Arsenal, with the defence being strengthened by the signing of George Clawley
from Tottenham Hotspur
. Southampton exceeded the achievements of the two previous seasons, winning the Southern League
title without losing a match, as well as reaching the Second Round Proper of the FA Cup
, where they went out to Newton Heath
in a replay.
The 1897–98 season
followed a similar pattern , with Southampton retaining their league title, and advancing to the semi-final of the FA Cup, losing to Nottingham Forest
in a controversial replay.
After two years in their temporary home at the County Ground in Northlands Road, in 1898 Southampton found a permanent home close by in Archers Road. The Dell ground was officially opened on 3 September with a match against Brighton United
. Saints took an early lead, with Keay scoring the opening goal following "a little finessing" from Tom Smith
, and Southampton went on to secure a 4–1 victory.
Joe Turner had moved to Stoke in the summer of 1898 and The "Saints" struggled to find an adequate replacement at outside-right, with neither Jim McKenzie
nor George Seeley
holding down the position for long. As a consequence, Keay's form started to decline and he was in and out of the side, with only one league appearance from January onwards.
He made one further appearance in November 1899 and retired in the 1900 close season. On his retirement in 1900, Southampton's grateful fans presented Keay with an inscribed pocket-watch.
In all he made 83 league and FA cup appearances for the "Saints", scoring 28 goals.
area and became a local publican for several years. He later became a shipwright for Camper and Nicholsons
at Shamrock Quay and in 1923 he also coached Southampton's reserves.
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
for various clubs, including Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
in Scotland and 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 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...
in England. His main claim to fame was scoring the first goal at The Dell stadium on its opening on 3 September 1898.
Early career
Keay was born in WhiteinchWhiteinch
Whiteinch is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde between the Partick and Scotstoun areas of the city...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and played as a youth for various local sides before starting his professional career at nearby Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
. He later moved south to Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
to seek fame and fortune before signing for 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 July 1893.
Derby County
He spent two seasons with the Midlands club, supplying the crosses for Steve BloomerSteve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
, John McMillan
John McMillan (footballer)
John Stuart "Johnny" McMillan was a Scottish football player and manager. He made nearly 400 appearances in the Football League in the 1890s and 1900s, playing at inside left or centre forward.-Playing career:...
and 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...
to score. Derby finished third in Division 1 in 1893-94
1893-94 in English football
The 1893–94 season was the 23rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:The 1893–94 season saw four of the most famous teams in English Footballing history join the Second Division: Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and the first team based in London, Woolwich Arsenal...
, scoring 73 goals in 30 games, but in the following season
1894-95 in English football
The 1894–95 season was the 24th season of competitive football in England.-Football League:Following the collapse of Middlesbrough Ironopolis and the resignation of Northwich Victoria, three new teams were admitted to the Second Division, bringing it to 16 teams...
they finished fifteenth and had to play-off against 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...
, who were relegated.
Southampton
In the spring of 1895, Charles RobsonCharles 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 Midlands 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
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and was "most persuasive on his home turf". On this trip, Robson and McMinn signed six players: Keay, 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...
, Jack Farrell
Jack Farrell (footballer)
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.-Early career:Farrell was born in...
, 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 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).
In the next four seasons, Keay featured regularly as Southampton won the League for three consecutive seasons from 1896–97 to 1898–99. Keay was the catalyst that helped knit the forward line together and he formed a useful partnership with 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...
, with Keay creating the chances for Turner to convert.
In his first 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...
with Southampton St. Mary'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...
(who were then playing at the Antelope Ground
Antelope 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 club finished third 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...
. In the summer of 1896
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...
, the club moved to the County Cricket 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...
. The Saints forward line was boosted by the signing of Bob 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...
from Woolwich Arsenal, with the defence being strengthened by the signing of 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...
from Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. Southampton exceeded the achievements of the two previous seasons, winning 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...
title without losing a match, as well as reaching the Second Round Proper 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...
, where they went out to 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.
The 1897–98 season
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...
followed a similar pattern , with Southampton retaining their league title, and advancing to the semi-final of the FA Cup, losing to 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...
in a controversial replay.
After two years in their temporary home at the County Ground in Northlands Road, in 1898 Southampton found a permanent home close by in Archers Road. The Dell ground was officially opened on 3 September with a match against Brighton United
Brighton United F.C.
Brighton United F.C. were an association football club based in Brighton, Sussex who were active for a few years at the end of the 19th century....
. Saints took an early lead, with Keay scoring the opening goal following "a little finessing" from Tom Smith
Tom Smith (footballer born 1877)
Thomas "Tom" Smith was a professional English footballer who played at outside-right for various clubs around the turn of the 20th century.-Football career:...
, and Southampton went on to secure a 4–1 victory.
Joe Turner had moved to Stoke in the summer of 1898 and The "Saints" struggled to find an adequate replacement at outside-right, with neither Jim McKenzie
Jim McKenzie (footballer)
James R. McKenzie was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an outside-forward for various clubs in Scotland and England in the 1890s.-Football career:...
nor George Seeley
George Seeley
George Alfred Seeley was an English professional footballer who played for various clubs around the turn of the 20th century, including Southampton in 1898–99, where he helped win the Southern League championship....
holding down the position for long. As a consequence, Keay's form started to decline and he was in and out of the side, with only one league appearance from January onwards.
He made one further appearance in November 1899 and retired in the 1900 close season. On his retirement in 1900, Southampton's grateful fans presented Keay with an inscribed pocket-watch.
In all he made 83 league and FA cup appearances for the "Saints", scoring 28 goals.
After retirement
After retiring from professional football (aged 28) he remained in the SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
area and became a local publican for several years. He later became a shipwright for Camper and Nicholsons
Camper and Nicholsons
Camper and Nicholsons are the oldest leisure marine company in the world, producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people.As Camper and Nicholsons was founded at Gosport, Hampshire before organised seawater yachting had even started, John Nicholson of the founding family once overheard...
at Shamrock Quay and in 1923 he also coached Southampton's reserves.
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 and 1898–99