Fred Geary
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Fred Geary (23 January 1868 – 8 January 1955) 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 ...
who played at
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 ...
for Everton in the 1890s, and made two appearances for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, scoring 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 ...
on his debut. At Everton, Geary was a prolific goal-scorer, with 86 goals in 99 appearances, helping them to win the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
championship for the first time in 1890–91. He was "the first Everton centre-forward to capture the imagination of their supporters" and "in his era he was as important to Everton as Dixie Dean was some years later".


Football career


Early days

Geary was born at Hyson Green, on the outskirts of
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
. As a boy he won many sprinting titles on the athletics track, and was to use this speed to great effect during his football career. He played youth football for local side Balmoral before joining Notts Rangers. After spells with
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
and
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
, he returned to Notts Rangers in 1888, where he played in front of future England internationals Alf and Charles Shelton. Everton had tried to sign him earlier, and eventually persuaded Geary to move to
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 ...
in 1889.


Everton

Everton had finished in a disappointing eighth position in the inaugural Football League season, having scored only 35 goals and the directors "were determined to improve upon their indifferent performances", especially in front of the goal, by recruiting Geary, along with Scotsman Alex Latta (from
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...
) and Welshman Charlie Parry (from Chester St Oswalds). Geary had first been spotted at Grimsby Town, but had moved back to Notts Rangers before he was persuaded to join Everton. Geary was described as "small and powerful", standing at barely and weighing . He relied on his pace and acceleration to get away from defenders and, according to the
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
, "his team-mates complained that he was sometimes too quick, leaving the ball or his strike partners behind with his turbo-charged bursts". Geary made his
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
debut for Everton on 7 September 1889 at home (then 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 ...
) to
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
and scored twice in a 3–2 victory. He soon began to form a prolific scoring partnership with Latta, well supported by
Edgar Chadwick Edgar Wallace Chadwick (14 June 1869 – 14 February 1942) was a left-sided association football, footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton F.C., Everton during the 1890s. He was also the national coach for the Netherlan ...
and Alf Milward, and later in the season by Alexander Brady. Geary scored regularly throughout the season, including a hat-trick in an 8–0 demolition of
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
on 4 November. He ended the season with 21 league goals in 18 matches, as Everton finished runners-up, two points behind
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. Geary had also scored four
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 ...
goals, including a hat-trick in an 11–2 victory over
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
on 18 January (with three goals also from Milward and Brady). This remains Everton's highest margin of victory in any competition. On 15 March 1890, Geary was called up by the
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
selectors to play against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in the 1890 British Home Championship. England also played against
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 ...
on the same day, and the selectors picked a mainly amateur team to play at
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 ...
(winning 3–1), while the players selected for the match against the Irish at Ballynafeigh Park,
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
were mainly professional, including five players from
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. England easily overcame the Irish by a 9–1 margin, with Geary scoring 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 ...
, and a pair each from
William Townley William James Townley (14 February 1866 – 30 May 1950) was an English football player and coach. He scored the first hat-trick in the history of the FA Cup final, and he is considered an important pioneer of the game in Germany, leading Kar ...
and Kenny Davenport. The Irish goal was scored by Jack Reynolds, who later played for England. According to Cris Freddi, "a (not altogether coherent) match report in ''The Field'' credits Geary with four goals, and a (very confused) summary in ''The Athletic News'' maintains that 'the clever little Everton centre was responsible for five of the goals, and beauties they were'." Despite the margin of victory, the England selectors did not use any of the team that defeated the Irish for the next match against
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, preferring the team that had played against Wales. The match against Scotland was a 1–1 draw, and, thus, England and Scotland shared the 1890 British Home Championship title. Geary started the 1890–91 season in superb form, scoring in each of the first six matches as Everton started the season with five straight victories. By mid-January, Everton had completed all but one of their fixtures and were on 29 points, while
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
were eleven points adrift with seven games still to play. Everton than had to sit out the next two months as Preston completed their fixture list until they were only two points adrift with one match each left to play. Both teams played their final games of the season on 14 March, with Everton losing 3–2 at
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
(Geary scored both Everton goals) and Preston going down 3–0 at
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
. Everton were thus able to win the Football League Championship for the first time, by a margin of two points with fourteen victories from their 22 league games. Geary had been ever-present, and was the club's top goal-scorer with 21 goals. Geary earned his second (and last) England cap for the match against Scotland on 6 April 1891. Although the match was played at
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a Association football, football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the English Football League, Football League and Premier League, who have played there since ...
,
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
, not one
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
player was selected, with the selectors opting for four players from Everton's championship winning team, with Geary lining up alongside
Edgar Chadwick Edgar Wallace Chadwick (14 June 1869 – 14 February 1942) was a left-sided association football, footballer who had a long and distinguished career with Everton F.C., Everton during the 1890s. He was also the national coach for the Netherlan ...
and Alf Milward (with Johnny Holt in defence). In a close game, England managed to hold on to a 2–1 victory with goals from John Goodall (
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
) and Chadwick. Geary started the 1891–92 season well, with four goals from the first five games until injury put him out of action for several months, with Alan Maxwell taking his place. Geary was able to return for the last five games of the season, scoring twice more as Everton ended the season in fifth place. In the summer of 1892, Everton move out of their original home 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 ...
after John Houlding, the leaseholder of the stadium, purchased the ground outright and proposed increasing the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton, who had played at Anfield for seven years, refused to meet his demands and moved to
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
. Geary scored the first goal at the new stadium in a friendly against
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 ...
to celebrate the opening. The first league game at Goodison Park took place on 3 September 1892 with
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
supplying the opposition. The game ended in a 2–2 draw with the honour of scoring the first competitive goal at Goodison going to Forest's Horace Pike, with the first Everton goal coming from Geary. The team's first league victory at their new ground came in the next home game when they crushed
Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...
6–0, with Geary and Chadwick each scoring twice. Geary failed to score for the next six games, before he and Alex Latta each scored hat-tricks in a 6–1 victory over
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
on 5 November. Geary ended the league season as the club's top scorer (for the third time in four seasons) with 19 goals from 24 league appearances, as Everton finished third in the league table. Geary played in the first three matches of 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 ...
run, scoring four goals before a leg injury resulted in him missing the
semi-final A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. Everton eventually defeated Preston after a second replay to set up a final against
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 ...
. Although Geary was now fit, he was not picked for the
Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
to be played at
Fallowfield Fallowfield is a bustling area of Manchester with a population of 14,869 at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east&n ...
, Manchester on 25 March, with Alan Maxwell retaining his place at centre-forward. Wolves won the match with a goal from their captain, Harry Allen, as the Everton forwards were unable to break down Wolves' defence. Injury prevented Geary making an appearance at the start of the 1893–94 season, and he lost his place at centre-forward to Jack Southworth who had arrived from
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
during the summer. Geary's first game of the season was against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on 25 November 1893, when he scored in a 4–3 victory. He retained his place for the next two matches, before Southworth returned to the side. Geary completed the season having played only nine matches, scoring eight goals. The season ended with Everton in a disappointing sixth place, with Southworth top scorer in the Football League with a tally of 27 goals from just 22 games. Injury again kept Geary out of the team until January 1895, and he was only able to make eight appearances with four goals in his final season at Goodison Park. His final appearance came on 13 April 1895, when he scored in a 2–3 defeat to
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
. In his Everton career, he made 99 appearances in league and cup matches, scoring 86 goals.


Liverpool

In May 1895, he signed for Liverpool (who had just been relegated to the Second Division) for a fee of £60, making his debut in a 2–3 defeat at
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
on 7 September. His first goals came when he was one of three players who scored twice in a 6–0 victory over
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
on 7 October. He made a total of 19 league appearances in 1895–96, scoring 11 goals as Liverpool took the Second Division title. Liverpool then had to play a series of "Test matches" against Small Heath and
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
with Liverpool securing their promotion at the expense of Small Heath. By now his pace had been eroded and he was stricken by injuries, and he was only selected eight times as Liverpool finished fifth in the First Division at the end of the 1896–97 season. He made a further twelve appearances over the next two seasons, before his last appearance for Liverpool on 17 September 1898. In his four seasons 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 ...
he made a total of 45 appearances with 14 goals.


Later life

Geary subsequently returned to
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
as a groundsman. He died on 8 January 1955, a fortnight short of his 87th birthday.


Honours

; Everton *
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
champions: 1890–91 ;
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 ...
*
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
champions: 1895–96


References


External links

*
Profile at www.englandfc.comLiverpool F.C. profileLFChistory.net player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geary, Fred 1868 births Footballers from Nottingham 1955 deaths English men's footballers England men's international footballers Notts County F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Everton F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players English Football League players Notts Rangers F.C. players English Football League representative players Men's association football forwards