George Henry Holdcroft (23 January 1909 – 17 April 1983), also known as Harry Holdcroft,[2] was an England international football goalkeeper.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Henry Holdcroft[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1909[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Norton le Moors, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 17 April 1983 (aged 74)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Penwortham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Biddulph | |||
| Norton Druids | |||
| Whitfield Colliery | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1926–1928 | Port Vale | 10 | (0) |
| 1928–1931 | Darlington | 83 | (0) |
| 1931–1932 | Everton | 0 | (0) |
| 1932–1939 | Preston North End | 263 | (0) |
| Total | 356 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1936 | England | 2 | (0) |
| 1936 | The Football League XI | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He played for Port Vale, Darlington, Everton, Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Burnley, Bury, Oldham Athletic, Manchester United, Southport, Leyland Motors, Morecambe and Chorley. However, it was during his seven years at Preston North End, from 1932 to 1939, that he became well known. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1933–34 and kept goal as Preston lifted the FA Cup in 1938. He also represented England twice in 1936.
Early and personal life
editGeorge Henry Holdcroft was born on 23 January 1909 in Norton le Moors, near Leek, Staffordshire.[2] His parents were John Jabez and Annie, a coal mine loader and grocer, respectively.[2] He qualified as a heavy worker inspector of motor vehicle parts.[2] He married Phyllis Jack in 1933.[2]
Club career
editHoldcroft played for local clubs, Biddulph, Norton Druids and Whitfield Colliery, before joining Port Vale as an amateur in August 1926, signing professional forms the following month.[1] He only played ten Second Division games for the Vale, six in 1926–27 and four in 1927–28, before being handed a free transfer to Third Division North club Darlington in May 1928.[1] He was the firm first choice for the club and played more than 83 games in his three years at Feethams. The club struggled at the foot of the table in 1928–29, before finishing third in 1929–30 and 11th in 1930–31.
In 1931, he was signed by Everton of the First Division. The "Toffees" won the league title in 1931–32. However, Holdcroft failed to get into the first-team at Goodison Park and moved to Preston North End of the Second Division. He went on to play in 172 consecutive league and FA Cup matches for the "Lambs". A ninth-place finish in 1932–33 was followed by promotion in 1933–34. Top-flight football at Deepdale continued right up until the outbreak of World War II, as Preston finished 11th in 1934–35, 7th in 1935–36, 14th in 1936–37, third in 1937–38 and ninth in 1938–39. Holdcroft also played in the 1938 FA Cup final victory over Huddersfield Town at Wembley, keeping a clean sheet over 120 minutes in a 1–0 win.
During the war he guested for Accrington Stanley, Barnsley, Burnley, Bury, Oldham Athletic, Manchester United and Southport, and also played for non-League clubs Leyland Motors, Morecambe and Chorley.[1]
International career
editHoldcroft was selected to play for England against Wales on 17 October 1936.[3] The following month he won a second international cap against Ireland.[3]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1926–27 | Second Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1927–28 | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Darlington | 1928–29 | Third Division North | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 1929–30 | Third Division North | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1930–31 | Third Division North | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 83 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0 | ||
| Everton | 1931–32 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Preston North End | 1932–33 | Second Division | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1933–34 | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 1934–35 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 1935–36 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 1936–37 | First Division | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1937–38 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 1938–39 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 1939–40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 263 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 293 | 0 | ||
| Barnsley | 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 356 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 394 | 0 | ||
Honours
editPreston North End
- Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1933–34
- FA Cup: 1938
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 138. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g "England players: Harry Holdcroft". englandfootballonline. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ a b "England Player Profile". englandfc.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
- ^ George Holdcroft at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ George Holdcroft at Soccerbase
