Dick Duckworth (footballer, born 1882)

Born in Manchester, he played for Smedley Road School and as a youth player for Harpurhey Wesleyan Juniors, Rossall Mission and Stretford.[1] His first professional contract was with Newton Heath Athletic, who paid him 7 shillings and sixpence a week.[1] As a centre-forward, he scored twice against the Manchester United reserves, and he was signed by the club in October 1903.[1] He scored on his debut, a 4–2 win over Gainsborough Trinity on 19 December 1903.[1] Although he played at right-half in the match, it was not until after a reserve team derby against Manchester City on Christmas Day 1903 that he was considered for the position on a regular basis.[1] In 1904–05, he scored six goals in eight league appearances, his best goal return in a season.

By the 1906–07 season, Duckworth became Manchester United's regular right-half, forming an effective partnership with Charlie Roberts and Alex Bell.[1] The following year, the club won their first major honour, the First Division title, and followed it up with the FA Cup a year later and another league title in 1911.[1] In total, Duckworth scored 11 goals in 254 appearances for Manchester United. A severe knee injury meant he played his final game for the club against Middlesbrough on 15 November 1913, though he remained on their books until 1915.[2] He was also part of a Football Association representative team on a tour of South Africa in 1910, and made five appearances for the Football League XI.[1]

After his retirement, Duckworth became a pub licensee, operating the Queen's Arms in Manchester as well as others in Bury, Royton, Castleton, Edenfield and Bacup.[2] In 1949, while working in Edenfield, his 1909 FA Cup winner's medal, which he had lost 20 years earlier, was found in a pile of rubble at a hotel he had once managed.[2] His death was registered in Rochdale in the third quarter of 1965.[3] His son, also called Dick, was also a professional footballer who was on the books of Manchester United before playing in the Football League for Chesterfield, Rotherham United and York City; he later managed York, as well as Stockport County, Darlington and Scunthorpe United.[2]

Bibliography

• Dykes, Garth (1994). The United Alphabet: A Complete Who's Who of Manchester United F.C. Leicester: ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-6-8.

Footnotes