Fred Stewart (football manager)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Stewart was an English
football manager. Despite managing for 39 years he only ever took charge of two clubs, Stockport County
and Cardiff City
, and he holds the record for longest serving manager in the history of both clubs.
in 1894 and was in charge of the club when they were elected to The Football League
in 1900. He remained in charge of the club until 1911 when he took over as manager of Cardiff City
, making his first signing soon after by bringing one of his former Stockport players in Billy Hardy
to the club, who would go on to be a lynchpin of the side during the clubs success under Stewart. Due to the financial plight of the club at the time, Stewart paid Hardy's £25 transfer fee with his own money. In his second year that he began to improve the clubs fortunes as they were promoted into the first division of the Southern Football League
but it was after the end of World War I
that he achieved his greatest success. Elected into the Football League in 1920, the club gained promotion to division one, finishing second on goal difference to Birmingham City
, and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup
in its first season.
Stewart's success in the FA Cup continued as they reached the quarter-finals in two of the following three years before reaching their first final in 1925
. They went on to lose 1-0 to Sheffield United
, with the only goal being scored by England
international Fred Tunstall
, but it would only take two years before the club returned to a final, this time in 1927. They faced Arsenal
and the match was tied at 0-0 until Hughie Ferguson
's shot was fumbled into the net by Dan Lewis
in the 74th minute, giving Stewart the record of being the only manager ever to take the trophy out of England
. Unfortunately they were never able to reproduce their trophy winning exploits and the club steadily went downhill before being relegated to Division Two in 1929, just two years after their FA Cup final victory. The clubs slide continued and they were relegated again in 1931, this time down into Division Three South. The low point came in 1933 when a 19th place finish saw Stewart decide to step down and retire.
After his retirement he remained in Cardiff
to concentrate on his businesses. He died in 1954, aged 81.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
football manager. Despite managing for 39 years he only ever took charge of two clubs, Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
and Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, and he holds the record for longest serving manager in the history of both clubs.
Career
Stewart was appointed manager of Stockport CountyStockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
in 1894 and was in charge of the club when they were elected to The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
in 1900. He remained in charge of the club until 1911 when he took over as manager of Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, making his first signing soon after by bringing one of his former Stockport players in Billy Hardy
Billy Hardy (footballer)
William "Billy" Hardy was a former English footballer probably most famous for playing in the 1927 FA Cup Final for Cardiff City-Career:...
to the club, who would go on to be a lynchpin of the side during the clubs success under Stewart. Due to the financial plight of the club at the time, Stewart paid Hardy's £25 transfer fee with his own money. In his second year that he began to improve the clubs fortunes as they were promoted into the first division of the Southern Football 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...
but it was after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
that he achieved his greatest success. Elected into the Football League in 1920, the club gained promotion to division one, finishing second on goal difference to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, and reached the semi-finals of the 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...
in its first season.
Stewart's success in the FA Cup continued as they reached the quarter-finals in two of the following three years before reaching their first final in 1925
1925 FA Cup Final
The 1925 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. Sheffield United won by a single goal, scored by Fred Tunstall....
. They went on to lose 1-0 to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, with the only goal being scored by 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 Fred Tunstall
Fred Tunstall
Fred Tunstall was a footballer who played for Sheffield United and England....
, but it would only take two years before the club returned to a final, this time in 1927. They faced 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...
and the match was tied at 0-0 until Hughie Ferguson
Hughie Ferguson
Hugh "Hughie" Ferguson was a Scottish footballer. He is only one of seven men in the entire history of the Football and Scottish Football Leagues to have scored 350 League goals...
's shot was fumbled into the net by Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis (footballer)
Daniel "Dan" Lewis was a Welsh football goalkeeper, who is most notable for his time playing for Arsenal. He kept goal for Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup Final where a mistake by him saw Cardiff City win the cup.-Playing career:...
in the 74th minute, giving Stewart the record of being the only manager ever to take the trophy out of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Unfortunately they were never able to reproduce their trophy winning exploits and the club steadily went downhill before being relegated to Division Two in 1929, just two years after their FA Cup final victory. The clubs slide continued and they were relegated again in 1931, this time down into Division Three South. The low point came in 1933 when a 19th place finish saw Stewart decide to step down and retire.
After his retirement he remained in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to concentrate on his businesses. He died in 1954, aged 81.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
 |
August 1894 | May 1911 | 373 | 111 | 76 | 186 | ||
| Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
 |
May 1911 | May 1933 | 605 | 244 | 136 | 225 | ||
| Total | 978 | 355 | 212 | 411 | |||||
Honours
Cardiff City- Division OneFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
Runner-up: 1
-
- 1923–24
- Division TwoFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Runner-up: 1
- Division Two
- 1920–21
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
Winner: 1
- FA Cup
- 1926–27
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
Runner-up: 1
- FA Cup
- 1924–251925 FA Cup FinalThe 1925 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. Sheffield United won by a single goal, scored by Fred Tunstall....
- FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
Winner: 1
- FA Charity Shield
- 1927–281927 FA Charity ShieldThe 1927 Football Association Charity Shield was played on 12 October 1927. The game was played at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea, and was contested by the FA Cup holders Cardiff City and amateur side Corinthian...
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Winner: 5
- Welsh Cup
- 1921–22, 1922–23, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30
- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
Runner-up: 1
- Welsh Cup
- 1928–29
- 1923–24