Cyril Sidlow (26 November 1915 – 12 April 2005) was a Welsh

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. He played for several football clubs, most notably

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

(commonly referred to as Wolves) and

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 ...

Life and playing career

Sidlow was born in

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay () is a town, Community (Wales), community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (h ...

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. He played for

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...

and

Major Frank Buckley Franklin Charles Buckley (more commonly known as Major Frank Buckley) (9 November 1882 – 21 December 1964) was an English Association football, football player and, later, manager. He was the brother of Chris Buckley (footballer), Chris Buckley ...

signed Sidlow to the Wolves in 1937. Sidlow was the first choice Wolves keeper before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but the signing of

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. While some sources have ...

after the war limited his chances. His career included a notable international match between England and Wales at Ninian Park where the Wolves supplied both the England keeper (Williams) and Welsh keeper (Sidlow). Wolves had two international goalkeepers, which led to Sidlow being surplus to requirements. In February 1946, Liverpool manager

George Kay George Kay may refer to: * George Kay (footballer), English footballer and manager * George Kay (minister), Scottish minister * George Kay (writer), English screenwriter * George Frederick Kay, American geologist See also * George Kaye (disam ...

signed him for a then-record £4,000. Sidlow made his debut for Liverpool on 31 August 1946 in a league match at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...

and kept his first clean sheet for the club, with

Len Carney Leonard Francis Carney (30 May 1915 – March 1996) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Career Born in Liverpool, Carney played amateur football for Liverpool University, Northern Nomads, Marine and Colleg ...

scoring a late goal for the Reds in the 90th minute. At 24, Sidlow's career was curtailed with the beginning of the World War II. He was almost 31 when he re-signed for the Reds. Sidlow, with

Charlie Ashcroft Charlie Ashcroft (3 July 1926 – 13 March 2010) was an English footballer. His first club was Eccleston Juniors, whom he left in May 1946 for Liverpool. He stayed with them for nine years, appearing 87 times. In June 1955 he signed for Ipswi ...

and Ray Minshull, were the goalkeepers vying for the number one jersey 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 ...

for the 1946/47 season: the first competitive season following the war. Even with the competition, Sidlow was given the position, which he held for 34 of the 42 games in a season that saw Liverpool win their first championship in 24 years. Much of this win is owed to Sidlow as the final game of the season was a must-win for the Reds. Sidlow's former employers, the Wolves, needed just a point to win the title and Liverpool had to face them at Molineux. The Reds were a point back on their hosts and needed a victory to win the league title. After a comprehensive 5–0 win at Anfield, the Wolves were favorites to win the game and take the title. But goals from

Jack Balmer John Balmer (6 February 1916 — 25 December 1984) was an English footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool. Life and playing career Born in West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, Balmer came from a family of footballers: Billy and Bob bo ...

and Albert Stubbins — plus Sidlow and the backline keeping Wolves down to one goal — meant the Championship trophy would be heading to

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

. His performance in this pivotal game against his former club is often considered the high point of Sidlow's Liverpool career. Sidlow tasted disappointment with the Reds too when they reached their first

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

final in 1950.

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, the opposition, took the

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back to

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after a 2–0 win. Sidlow's Liverpool days were drawn to a close during the 1950/51 after he originally begun the season as first choice. Charlie Ahcroft and Russell Crossley took over for four games before Sidlow came back in to play his last match for the club. Anfield was the place and

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

were the visitors. Things didn't go well for Sidlow and the Reds as The Magpies went back to

St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...

with the points after a 4–2 win. Crossley came back into the side, and Sidlow retired in the August 1952. Upon retirement from the top level, he went on to play for New Brighton. Sidlow earned seven caps playing for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

during his career.

Memorial

Sidlow died at 89 in 2005. After his death, his daughter sponsored a local award in Perton and Codsall, where her father lived until his death, to recognize local players' achievements.

Honours

Liverpool

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

(level 1) winners medal (1947) *

runners-up medal (1950)

References

External links

Player profile at LFChistory.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidlow, Cyril 1915 births 2005 deaths Footballers from Colwyn Bay Welsh men's footballers Colwyn Bay F.C. players Wales men's international footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players New Brighton A.F.C. players English Football League players