Charlie McGibbon
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward McGibbon was an English footballer who played for several teams, including Woolwich Arsenal
and Southampton
, on a part-time basis while serving with the Royal Engineers
. He also played one cricket
match for Hampshire County Cricket Club
.
, and joined the Royal Engineers, reaching the rank of sergeant. While serving at the Royal Garrison Artillery at Woolwich
he came to the attention of Woolwich Arsenal
, whom he joined in August 1905. He failed to get into the first team and after a spell with Eltham, he joined New Brompton in 1907.
New Brompton (now Gillingham
) were playing in the Southern League
under the management of former England
international Stephen Smith
, who was also team captain. In McGibbon's season at the club, New Brompton finished bottom of the table, avoiding relegation only due to the expansion of the league, but did achieve an FA Cup
victory over First Division Sunderland
, in which McGibbon scored a hat-trick
. McGibbon had previously scored a hat-trick in the 6–0 victory over Shepherds Bush in the fifth qualifying round. In the first round match, played at Priestfield Stadium
on 11 January 1908, Sunderland took the lead after half an hour from England international George Holley
. New Brompton equalized immediately with a header from McGibbon, who followed up with two second-half goals to claim a 3–1 victory.
In the second round, New Brompton came up against Manchester City
, then third in the Football League First Division
. McGibbon scored in the first match, which ended 1–1, and again in the replay (from a penalty) but was unable to prevent the Football League club from claiming a 2–1 victory. McGibbon ended the 1907–08 season as New Brompton's top scorer
with 22 goals from all competitions.
McGibbon played for Southern League Crystal Palace
in the 1908–09 season, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw with Southampton
at The Dell on 5 October 1908. This brought him to the attention of the Southampton directors, and when McGibbon's military duties took him to Portsmouth, he joined Southampton in May 1909.
Described as "physically well-suited for the role of centre-forward", McGibbon possessed a "powerful shot (and) influential leadership qualities". His opportunism in front of goal enabled him to score 19 goals in 28 league goals in the 1909–10 season, making him the "Saints'" top-scorer for the season.
In March 1910, his military duties took him back to Woolwich and he immediately found a place in a struggling Woolwich Arsenal
team that was fighting relegation. He made his debut away to Chelsea
on 28 March 1910 and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. He followed that up with the winner in a 1–0 victory over Aston Villa
and the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur
. His three goals from four appearances helped Arsenal avoid relegation from the Football League First Division
, by a margin of two points above Chelsea.
At the start of the following season, McGibbon moved on to join Leyton
. After a spell at Reading
, McGibbon returned to Southampton
in November 1911, but failed to get back into the first team.
and later worked for Supermarine
at Woolston, Southampton
.
He made one first-class
appearance for Hampshire
in July 1919, bowling one over and scoring one run in a County Championship
match against Yorkshire
.
His son, Douglas
(1919 – 2002), played football for Southampton
from 1938 to 1947, as well as for Fulham
and Bournemouth.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, on a part-time basis while serving with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He also played one cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
match for Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
.
Football career
McGibbon was born in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and joined the Royal Engineers, reaching the rank of sergeant. While serving at the Royal Garrison Artillery at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
he came to the attention of Woolwich Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, whom he joined in August 1905. He failed to get into the first team and after a spell with Eltham, he joined New Brompton in 1907.
New Brompton (now Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
) were playing in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
under the management of former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith (footballer)
Stephen Smith was an England international football player in the late 19th century.Smith was born in Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.. He played for Aston Villa from 1893 to 1901, helping them to win the Football League title in 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99 and 1899-1900, as well as the FA...
, who was also team captain. In McGibbon's season at the club, New Brompton finished bottom of the table, avoiding relegation only due to the expansion of the league, but did achieve an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
victory over First Division Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, in which McGibbon scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
. McGibbon had previously scored a hat-trick in the 6–0 victory over Shepherds Bush in the fifth qualifying round. In the first round match, played at Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
on 11 January 1908, Sunderland took the lead after half an hour from England international George Holley
George Holley
George Holley was an English professional footballer who spent most of his career as an inside forward with Sunderland, helping them claim the Football League title in 1913...
. New Brompton equalized immediately with a header from McGibbon, who followed up with two second-half goals to claim a 3–1 victory.
In the second round, New Brompton came up against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, then third in the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. McGibbon scored in the first match, which ended 1–1, and again in the replay (from a penalty) but was unable to prevent the Football League club from claiming a 2–1 victory. McGibbon ended the 1907–08 season as New Brompton's top scorer
Gillingham F.C. seasons
Gillingham F.C. is an English association football club originally formed in 1893 under the name New Brompton F.C. The club adopted its present name in 1913, and played in the Southern League until 1920, when that league's top division was absorbed into the Football League as its new Division Three...
with 22 goals from all competitions.
McGibbon played for Southern League Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in the 1908–09 season, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw with Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
at The Dell on 5 October 1908. This brought him to the attention of the Southampton directors, and when McGibbon's military duties took him to Portsmouth, he joined Southampton in May 1909.
Described as "physically well-suited for the role of centre-forward", McGibbon possessed a "powerful shot (and) influential leadership qualities". His opportunism in front of goal enabled him to score 19 goals in 28 league goals in the 1909–10 season, making him the "Saints'" top-scorer for the season.
In March 1910, his military duties took him back to Woolwich and he immediately found a place in a struggling Woolwich Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
team that was fighting relegation. He made his debut away to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
on 28 March 1910 and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. He followed that up with the winner in a 1–0 victory over Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. His three goals from four appearances helped Arsenal avoid relegation from the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, by a margin of two points above Chelsea.
At the start of the following season, McGibbon moved on to join Leyton
Leyton F.C.
Leyton Football Club are an English association football club based in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. As of January 2011, they are not in a senior league, after withdrawing from the Isthmian League Division One North...
. After a spell at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, McGibbon returned to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in November 1911, but failed to get back into the first team.
Later career
After the First World War, McGibbon found employment as the Chief Clerk in the Statistical Office at Netley HospitalNetley Hospital
The Royal Victoria Hospital, or Netley Hospital was a large military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some controversy, chiefly from Florence Nightingale. Often visited by Queen Victoria,...
and later worked for Supermarine
Supermarine
Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...
at Woolston, Southampton
Woolston, Southampton
Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Hampshire, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston.The area is rich in maritime and aviation history...
.
He made one first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
appearance for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in July 1919, bowling one over and scoring one run in a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
.
His son, Douglas
Doug McGibbon
Douglas "Doug" McGibbon was an English footballer who played at centre forward for Southampton, Fulham and Bournemouth in the years just after the Second World War...
(1919 – 2002), played football for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
from 1938 to 1947, as well as for Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and Bournemouth.