Charles Leatherbarrow (born Letherbarrow) (16 January 1870 – 26 December 1940) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

born in

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for Rotherham Town,

Walsall Town Swifts Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflec ...

and

Small Heath Small Heath is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman t ...

. He played at

inside right In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

Playing career

Leatherbarrow was playing for

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

champions Rotherham Town by September 1892. He is reported as scoring their late consolation goal in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

's first ever match at

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

, a 7–1 victory in a friendly on 1 September 1892. Leatherbarrow assisted Rotherham to retain their Midland League title, and remained with the club for the start of the 1893–94 season – their first season in

– but in December 1893 he moved to fellow

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club

. His scoring rate for Walsall of a goal every other game attracted the attention of

, who signed him prior to their first season in the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

. Described as "stocky and very quick off the mark", Leatherbarrow had scored freely at each of his previous clubs; he had a run of four games in the absence of

Billy Walton William Howard T. Walton (6 August 1871 – 10 February 1963) was an English footballer who played for Small Heath (now Birmingham City) for fourteen years. He made 232 appearances and scored 70 goals in all competitions. Biography Walton was ...

, and scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in the second of those, but was unable to force his way into Small Heath's first-choice eleven. In April 1895 he moved to Southern League champions Millwall Athletic, and his 17 league goals made a major contribution to the club retaining their title in the 1895–96 season. In December 1896 he joined fellow Southern League club Chatham.

Honours

Rotherham Town *

champions: 1892–93 Millwall Athletic * Southern League champions: 1895–96

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leatherbarrow, Charlie 1870 births 1940 deaths Footballers from Banbury English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Northwich Victoria F.C. players Rotherham Town F.C. (1878) players Walsall F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Chatham Town F.C. players Cowes Sports F.C. players Telford United F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players