Walter G. Cartwright (born Nantwich, January 1871) was an English

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 ...

who played at half-back, although he could play at several positions. Ht:5’8”, Wt:10st 11lbs. He played for

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. ...

, Heywood Central and

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

before signing for

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 ...

in June 1895. At Newton Heath, which was later renamed Manchester United, he played at every position, including

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring 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 intercepting ...

and amassed 257 appearances (more than modern United heroes such as Brian Kidd, Harry Gregg, Frank Stapleton and Brian Greenhoff) in an era when the league season consisted of much fewer matches. The Nantwich man also scored eight goals for United in a spell with the club lasting from 1895 until his retirement in June 1905. He was awarded a benefit match for 10 years' service but unfortunately it came at a time when the club was in receivership. Rather than a bumper payout, he received only around £1.30 which was duly spent in the local pub before his journey home! Also an accomplished wicketkeeper for Nantwich Cricket Club. He later became publican of the Justice Birch Hotel in Hyde Road, Manchester. He died in Eccles in May 1929.

References

1871 births English men's footballers Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Year of death missing Footballers from Nantwich Men's association football goalkeepers {{England-footy-defender-1870s-stub