Harry Anstiss
Anstiss with Millwall in 1922.
Personal information
Full name Henry Augustus Anstiss[1]
Date of birth (1899-08-22)22 August 1899[2]
Place of birth Hampstead, London[2]
Date of death 9 March 1964(1964-03-09) (aged 64)[2]
Place of death Isleworth, London[2]
Height 5 ft 9+12 in (1.77 m)[3]
Position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
1919–1920 Hammersmith Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1920–1922 Brentford 42 (19)
1922–1923 Millwall 19 (3)
1923–1924 Watford 18 (5)
1924–1925 Rochdale 72 (39)
1926–1927 Sheffield Wednesday 12 (5)
1927–1931 Port Vale 109 (36)
1931–1932 Swansea Town 28 (6)
1932–1934 Crewe Alexandra 30 (7)
1934–1935 Gillingham 33 (6)
1935–1936 Tunbridge Wells Rangers
1936–1937 Cray Wanderers
Total 363+ (126+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Henry Augustus Anstiss (22 August 1899 – 9 March 1964) was a much travelled English footballer who played as an inside-forward for Hammersmith Athletic, Brentford, Millwall, Watford, Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday, Port Vale, Swansea Town, Crewe Alexandra, Gillingham, Tunbridge Wells Rangers and Cray Wanderers in the 1920s and 1930s. His most significant spell was with Port Vale, with whom he won the Third Division North title in 1929–30.

Career

Anstiss played for Hammersmith Athletic,[4] before joining Brentford, Millwall, Watford, Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday, before joining Port Vale in February 1927, along with 'a substantial financial consideration' in exchange for Alfred Strange.[2] Strange went on to become an England international, but Anstiss did not head in the same direction.[2] He had a great start to his Vale career though, scoring on his debut at The Old Recreation Ground in a 6–2 win over Notts County on 26 February.[2] He went on to score a hat-trick in a 7–1 home win over Fulham on 2 April, and claimed 11 goals in 15 Second Division games in the 1926–27 campaign.[2] This was the end of his purple patch, as he scored five goals in 32 games in the 1927–28 season.[2] Injury brought him down in November 1928, and limited him to three goals in 17 matches in the 1928–29 relegation season.[2] He scored 15 goals in 37 appearances in the 1929–30 season, as the "Valiants" were crowned champions of the Third Division North.[2] He fell from favour in October 1930 and was limited to six goals in 17 games in the 1930–31 season.[2] He was transferred to Swansea Town in May 1931.[2] Later he played for Crewe Alexandra, Gillingham, Tunbridge Wells Rangers and Cray Wanderers.[4]

Personal life

Anstiss served as a Boy 1st Class in the Royal Navy during the First World War.[1] Aged just 16, he saw action at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and served on HMS Royal Oak.[1][5] He joined the crew of HMS Powerful the following year.[6]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brentford 1920–21[7] Third Division 1940000194
1921–22[7] Third Division South 231520002515
Total 421920004419
Millwall 1922–23[8] Third Division South 1930000193
Watford 1923–24[9] Third Division South 1854000225
Rochdale 1924–25[10] Third Division North 422320004523
1925–26[10] Third Division North 301600003016
Total 723920007439
The Wednesday 1926–27[11] First Division 1250000125
Port Vale 1926–27[2] Second Division 151100001511
1927–28[2] Second Division 2933200325
1928–29[2] Second Division 1730000173
1929–30[2] Third Division North 331332003615
1930–31[2] Second Division 1562000216
Total 10936840011740
Swansea Town 1931–32[2] Second Division 2261000236
1932–33[10] Second Division 60000060
Total 2861000296
Crewe Alexandra 1933–34[10] Third Division North 3070010317
Gillingham 1934–35[12] Third Division South 3361000346
Career total 36312618410372130

Honours

Port Vale

References

  1. 1 2 3 Harry Anstiss on Lives of the First World War
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 8. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  3. "League clubs and their players for the coming season. Rochdale". Athletic News. Manchester. 4 August 1924. p. 3.
  4. 1 2 "Anstiss Harry Millwall 1922". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  5. "Profile" (PDF). watfordfcarchive.com. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  6. Fielding, Rob (9 June 2021). "The promotion winning Port Vale player who fought in WW1's major sea battle". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  7. 1 2 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 366. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. "Millwall Season 22/23 Stats". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  9. "Watford Football Club archive 1881–2017 – 1920/21 to 1929/30" (PDF). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Harry Anstiss at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  11. "H Anstiss". www.adrianbullock.com. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. "Gillingham FC Career Details". Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Glory to Despair (1929–1939)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 124–150. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
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