Matt McQueen
Encyclopedia
Matthew 'Matt' McQueen was a Scottish
football
player who became a director and manager of Liverpool F.C.
, Scotland
, McQueen played for Leith Athletic, twice, and Hearts
before being signed by Liverpool managers John McKenna
and W. E. Barclay
in October 1892. He made his debut on the 29 October 1892 at Anfield
in the 9-0 thrashing of Newtown in a FA Cup
2nd round tie, he scored his first goal on the 3 December the same year, it was the opening goal of yet another thrashing, this time the 7-0 demolition of Fleetwood Rangers in the Lanchashire League.
Matt and his brother Hugh McQueen
had been two of the many Scotsmen recruited by the Reds shortly after Liverpool were founded in 1892 following Everton’s decision to move from Anfield to Goodison Park
. Both played in Liverpool’s first-ever Football League match, a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough Ironopolis at the Paradise Field on 2 September 1893. In fact Liverpool's first season in the Football League was an eventful one for Matt as he found himself playing in numerous positions including 5 games in the Reds goal, a position in became familiar with playing a total of 37 times in Liverpool's first 3 seasons in the league, this made Matt a unique record holder, he is the only man in English football history (probably the world) to have won championship
winners medals, albeit second division, as both an outfield player and a goalkeeper.
Matt was part of the two Liverpool Second Division
winning teams in 1893/94 and 1895/96. The all-rounder eventually played 150 matches for Liverpool in all ten outfield positions during his career, include 12 more appearances made in goal making it a grand total of 49 times between the sticks.
McQueen made 2 appearances for Scotland, both came whilst he was with Leith, his debut was on the 22 March 1890 in a British Championship
match at Underwood Park, Paisley
, a game that saw the Scots thrash Wales
5-0.
On his retirement as a player, McQueen took the qualifications necessary to become a Football League referee and officiated as a linesman for a brief period in 1904. In 1918, he was appointed to become a Director on Liverpool’s Board.
surprisingly resigned to take over the Oldham hotseat, it was surprising as Ashworth had guided the Reds to the league title the previous season and were well on the way to recording back to back championships when he left. Not only did he see the club safely through to a successful defence of their First Division championship trophy, he stayed in the manager’s chair for 5 years even though he was nearly 60 years old at the time he was asked to take over. When Matt took over the reins at Anfield he became the first former player to manage the club.
But before he stood down, McQueen had made one of Liverpool’s most significant signings, South African Gordon Hodgson
, a wonderful striker of the ball who would go on score nearly 250 senior goals for the club in fewer than 400 appearances.
Whilst on a scouting mission to Sheffield
McQueen was involved in a road accident and he lost a leg. His health remained poor finally leading to his retirement in February 1928, living in Kemlyn Road just a stone’s throw from the stadium, in fact the Centenary Stand now covers the site where McQueen's house once stood. He remained a frequent and popular visitor to the club for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 81 in September 1944.
As a manager
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player who became a director and manager of Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
Life and playing career
Born Harthill, LanarkshireLanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, McQueen played for Leith Athletic, twice, and Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
before being signed by Liverpool managers John McKenna
John McKenna
John McKenna , born in County Monaghan, Ireland, was a self-made businessman and former rugby player, who was the first manager of Liverpool....
and W. E. Barclay
W. E. Barclay
William E. Barclay was the first manager of Everton and also the first manager of Liverpool, working with club secretary John McKenna.His time at Everton was short managing them for their first 22 games...
in October 1892. He made his debut on the 29 October 1892 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in the 9-0 thrashing of Newtown in a 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...
2nd round tie, he scored his first goal on the 3 December the same year, it was the opening goal of yet another thrashing, this time the 7-0 demolition of Fleetwood Rangers in the Lanchashire League.
Matt and his brother Hugh McQueen
Hugh McQueen
Hugh McQueen played as a Winger for Liverpool Football Club in the late 19th century.-Life and playing career:...
had been two of the many Scotsmen recruited by the Reds shortly after Liverpool were founded in 1892 following Everton’s decision to move from Anfield to Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. Both played in Liverpool’s first-ever Football League match, a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough Ironopolis at the Paradise Field on 2 September 1893. In fact Liverpool's first season in the Football League was an eventful one for Matt as he found himself playing in numerous positions including 5 games in the Reds goal, a position in became familiar with playing a total of 37 times in Liverpool's first 3 seasons in the league, this made Matt a unique record holder, he is the only man in English football history (probably the world) to have won championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
winners medals, albeit second division, as both an outfield player and a goalkeeper.
Matt was part of the two Liverpool 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...
winning teams in 1893/94 and 1895/96. The all-rounder eventually played 150 matches for Liverpool in all ten outfield positions during his career, include 12 more appearances made in goal making it a grand total of 49 times between the sticks.
McQueen made 2 appearances for Scotland, both came whilst he was with Leith, his debut was on the 22 March 1890 in a British Championship
British Championship
The British Championship is the most prestigious ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition. It has been run under various formats and titles since 1930 and contested annually since 1966...
match at Underwood Park, Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, a game that saw the Scots thrash 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...
5-0.
On his retirement as a player, McQueen took the qualifications necessary to become a Football League referee and officiated as a linesman for a brief period in 1904. In 1918, he was appointed to become a Director on Liverpool’s Board.
Liverpool management career
McQueen stepped into the managerial hot seat as a temporary measure in early 1923 when David AshworthDavid Ashworth
David Ashworth was a former Irish football referee and manager, most notably managing Liverpool F.C. and Oldham Athletic....
surprisingly resigned to take over the Oldham hotseat, it was surprising as Ashworth had guided the Reds to the league title the previous season and were well on the way to recording back to back championships when he left. Not only did he see the club safely through to a successful defence of their First Division championship trophy, he stayed in the manager’s chair for 5 years even though he was nearly 60 years old at the time he was asked to take over. When Matt took over the reins at Anfield he became the first former player to manage the club.
But before he stood down, McQueen had made one of Liverpool’s most significant signings, South African Gordon Hodgson
Gordon Hodgson
Gordon Hodgson was a South African-born English sportsman, being best known for as a striker for Liverpool and also a first-class cricketer for Lancashire, he also excelled at baseball....
, a wonderful striker of the ball who would go on score nearly 250 senior goals for the club in fewer than 400 appearances.
Whilst on a scouting mission to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
McQueen was involved in a road accident and he lost a leg. His health remained poor finally leading to his retirement in February 1928, living in Kemlyn Road just a stone’s throw from the stadium, in fact the Centenary Stand now covers the site where McQueen's house once stood. He remained a frequent and popular visitor to the club for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 81 in September 1944.
Career details
As a player- Liverpool F.C (1892 - 1899) - Two Football League Division Two winners medals (1894 and 1896)
- Scotland (1890 - 1891) 2 appearances
As a manager
- Liverpool F.C (1923 - 1928) Football League First Division Championship 1923, (although he took over as manager from Dave Ashworth towards the end of the season with Liverpool already topping the table, nevertheless he steered them successfully).