Eddie Spicer (20 September 1922 – 25 December 2004) was a professional English footballer who played for

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 ...

. His parents were George Stephen Spicer (1894-1956) and Ethel Anne Warren (1900-1981). He was married to Norma Anne Roberts (1926-2002). They were married in March 1946 in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

and they had two children.

Career

Born in

, England, the 17-year-old Spicer signed professional forms for Liverpool in October 1939 after impressing 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 ...

. Like so many professional players, Spicer's career was interrupted by the outbreak of the

Second World War 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 ...

and due to this his "official" debut was seven years after he first signed. Immediately after

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 ...

, in which Spicer served in the Marines, he returned to Liverpool and was finally given his debut on 30 January 1946 in the first post-war competition the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. It was a fourth round second leg tie 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 game the Reds won 2–0. Unfortunately for both Spicer and Liverpool, opponents

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

had already won the first leg 5–0, subsequently knocking Liverpool out of the cup. Spicer had to wait until 6 December 1947 for his first goal for the club,

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

were the visitors to Anfield for a league game that ended in a 3–3 draw. Spicer made ten appearances during Liverpool's first championship winning team for 24 years in 1946–47, just short of the total required to gain himself a medal. His only medal came in the

of 1950, Spicer appeared in all of Liverpool's seven matches, including the final on 29 April, the team's first ever

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.

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

were the opposition and won 2–0. Spicer was a tough, no-nonsense defender, primarily left-sided, and he was a regular fixture in the Liverpool side during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He suffered with injuries, however, missing the entire 1951–52 season with a broken leg, and suffering the same injury in 1953, an injury that would eventually end his career prematurely. Despite suffering numerous injuries throughout his career, Spicer managed 168 appearances for Liverpool, scoring twice.

Statistics and honours

*Liverpool F.C. (1939–1953) - 168 appearances, 2 goals - FA Cup runners-up medal (1950)

References

External links

Player profile at LFChistory.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spicer, Eddie 1922 births English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Liverpool F.C. players Footballers from Liverpool 2004 deaths English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen