Harry Ruddlesdin
Encyclopedia
Herod "Harry" Ruddlesdin (1876 – 26 March 1910) was an English
footballer, who played most of his career with The Wednesday, helping them claim the Football League Second Division
title in 1900, followed by the Football League championship in 1903
and 1904
. He also made three appearances for England
.
and played part time football for Birdwell FC while working as a collier
. He joined The Wednesday in the summer of 1898 and soon slotted well into the half-back line, being able to play equally well on either wing. His first season saw Wednesday relegated to the Second Division, but in 1899–1900 he was ever-present as Wednesday regained their place in the top flight claiming the Second Division
title by two points over Bolton Wanderers
.
Back in the First Division, Ruddlesdin formed a settled half-back line alongside Tommy Crawshaw
and Bob Ferrier
who between them hardly missed a match over the next four seasons, as Wednesday took the Football League
championship in 1903
and again the following season
. During the period from 10 September 1898 to 23 March 1901, Ruddlesdin played every match, an unbroken run of 100 games.
Ruddlesdin made his first appearance for England
playing alongside Crawshaw in a 2–2 draw with Wales
on 29 February 1904. Both Ruddlesdin and Crawshaw retained their places for the next match, against Ireland two weeks later, which ended in a 3–1 victory, with Alf Common
scoring twice.
Ruddlesdin's final international appearance came the following year in a 1–1 victory over Scotland
. By now, illness was beginning to restrict Ruddlesdin's appearances for Wednesday, and although he made a recovery for 1905–06
, his health soon deteriorated and he was forced to retire from the game in December 1906. Although he attempted a comeback, first with Wednesday and then with Northampton Town
it "soon became apparent that he was no longer up to the rigours of full time football".
Ruddlesdin died on 26 March 1910.
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...
footballer, who played most of his career with The Wednesday, helping them claim the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 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...
title in 1900, followed by the Football League championship in 1903
1902-03 in English football
The 1902–03 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
and 1904
1903-04 in English football
The 1903–04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:For the first time ever, a London team, Woolwich Arsenal, is promoted to the First Division and makes the League's reach nationwide...
. He also made three appearances for 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...
.
Career
Ruddlesdin was born in Birdwell, South YorkshireBirdwell, South Yorkshire
Birdwell is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England.Birdwell is located approximately 4.5 miles south of Barnsley and neighbouring villages include Worsbrough Village, Tankersley , and Hoyland Common.The A61 Birdwell is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of...
and played part time football for Birdwell FC while working as a collier
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. He joined The Wednesday in the summer of 1898 and soon slotted well into the half-back line, being able to play equally well on either wing. His first season saw Wednesday relegated to the Second Division, but in 1899–1900 he was ever-present as Wednesday regained their place in the top flight claiming the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 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...
title by two points over Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
.
Back in the First Division, Ruddlesdin formed a settled half-back line alongside Tommy Crawshaw
Tommy Crawshaw
Tommy Crawshaw was a professional footballer who played almost his entire League career with Sheffield Wednesday. Crawshaw was a centre half whose career lasted from 1894 to 1909 during which time he played a total of 492 games in all competitions, scoring 27 goals...
and Bob Ferrier
Bob Ferrier (Scottish footballer)
Robert "Bob" Ferrier was a Scottish footballer who played for Dumbarton and Sheffield Wednesday.-External links:*...
who between them hardly missed a match over the next four seasons, as Wednesday took 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...
championship in 1903
1902-03 in English football
The 1902–03 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
and again the following season
1903-04 in English football
The 1903–04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:For the first time ever, a London team, Woolwich Arsenal, is promoted to the First Division and makes the League's reach nationwide...
. During the period from 10 September 1898 to 23 March 1901, Ruddlesdin played every match, an unbroken run of 100 games.
Ruddlesdin made his first appearance for 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...
playing alongside Crawshaw in a 2–2 draw with Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
on 29 February 1904. Both Ruddlesdin and Crawshaw retained their places for the next match, against Ireland two weeks later, which ended in a 3–1 victory, with Alf Common
Alf Common
Alf Common was an English footballer who played at inside forward or centre forward. He is most famous for being the first player to be transferred for a fee of £1,000 on his transfer to Middlesbrough from Sunderland in 1905.-Club career:Common played for South Hylton and Jarrow in North East...
scoring twice.
Ruddlesdin's final international appearance came the following year in a 1–1 victory over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. By now, illness was beginning to restrict Ruddlesdin's appearances for Wednesday, and although he made a recovery for 1905–06
1905-06 in English football
The 1905–06 season was the 35th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Following the increase in size of the Football League from 36 clubs to 40, and with Doncaster Rovers having been relegated from the Second Division, four new clubs were elected into the league, along with Stockport...
, his health soon deteriorated and he was forced to retire from the game in December 1906. Although he attempted a comeback, first with Wednesday and then with Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
it "soon became apparent that he was no longer up to the rigours of full time football".
Ruddlesdin died on 26 March 1910.
Honours
The Wednesday- Football League Second DivisionFootball 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...
Champions - 1900 - Football League First DivisionFootball 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....
Champions - 19031902-03 in English footballThe 1902–03 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
, 19041903-04 in English footballThe 1903–04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:For the first time ever, a London team, Woolwich Arsenal, is promoted to the First Division and makes the League's reach nationwide...