Fred Appleyard (footballer)

Fred Appleyard (13 June 1909 – March 1995) was an English professional footballer who played as a left-half or inside-left in the Football League for Rochdale, and in non-League football for Norden St James, Norden Congregationalists and Rochdale St Clement's.

Fred Appleyard
Personal information
Full name Fred Appleyard[1]
Date of birth (1909-06-13)13 June 1909
Place of birth Norden, England
Date of death March 1995 (aged 85)
Place of death Ulverston, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Left-half / Inside-left[3]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Norden St James
1928–1932 Rochdale 6 (0)
1933–193? Norden Congregationalists
1935–19?? Rochdale St Clement's
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career

Fred Appleyard was born on 13 June 1909 in Norden, Rochdale, Lancashire.[4] He was the second son of George Appleyard, a domestic coachman, and his wife Sarah, and had an older brother, Willie.[5]

Appleyard played in non-League football for Norden St James[1] before signing for Third Division North club Rochdale on amateur forms in January 1928.[4] He made his debut on 9 March 1929 in a 5–1 defeat away to Tranmere Rovers in the league, which proved to be his only appearance of the 1928–29 season.[1] He turned professional in 1930,[4] and made his next first-team appearance in November of that year. He appeared in four matches in the 1930–31 season, three in the league and one in the FA Cup.[1] Having finished in 21st place, Rochdale had to apply for re-election, and with the club's future uncertain, Appleyard was one of just six players offered terms for the 1931–32 season.[6] Their application was successful, and Appleyard made two more league appearances. His last, in January 1932, was as stand-in for Rochdale's regular left half, George Ward, in a 3–2 defeat at home to Crewe Alexandra.[1][7] After leaving Rochdale he returned to playing in non-League with Norden Congregationalists, which he joined in June 1933, and Rochdale St Clement's from September 1935.[4]

The 1939 Register finds Appleyard living in Rochdale with his parents and a younger sister and employed as a production process worker in textile bleaching and dyeing.[8] He died in Ulverston, Cumbria, in March 1995 at the age of 85.[1][9]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[1]
Club Season League FA Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rochdale 1928–29 Third Division North 100010
1930–31 Third Division North 301040
1931–32 Third Division North 200020
Career total 601070

References
  1. "Player Details: Fred Appleyard". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. "Rochdale". Athletic News. Manchester. 4 August 1930. p. 15.
  3. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  4. Phillipps, Steven (2013). Rochdale AFC: Who's Who 1907–1939. Nottingham: Soccerdata. ISBN 978-1-905891-64-1.
  5. "1911 England Census for Fred Appleyard: Lancashire, Norden RG14/24649" – via Ancestry.com.
  6. "Rochdale offer terms to six players". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 29 April 1931. p. 7.
  7. "Crewe's great fight at Rochdale". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 30 January 1932. p. 5.
  8. "1939 England and Wales Register for Fred Appleyard: Lancashire, Rochdale CB, NNRQ" – via Ancestry.com.
  9. "Fred Appleyard in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007". Retrieved 21 June 2021 – via Ancestry.com.
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