Walter Anderson
Personal information
Full name Walter Anderson[1]
Date of birth 1879
Place of birth England
Date of death 3 March 1904 (aged 25)
Place of death London, England
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Darlington – (–)
– Thornaby Utopians – (–)
1899–1901 Sheffield United 4 (0)
1901–1903 Woolwich Arsenal 28 (10)
1903–1904 Plymouth Argyle 31 (11)
Total 63 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Anderson (1879 – 3 March 1904) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward.

A diminutive forward,[2] Anderson began his career with Darlington before moving to Thornaby Utopians.[1] He became a professional in 1899 with Sheffield United and made four appearances in the First Division of the Football League over the next two years.[1] Anderson was transferred to Second Division side Woolwich Arsenal in December 1901.[2] He made his first team debut against Preston North End in a 0–0 draw on 11 January 1902 and scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Chesterfield Town three weeks later.[3] Having formed a partnership in the team's forward line with Bill Gooing,[2] Anderson scored five goals in 13 league games as the club finished fifth in the Second Division table.[4] The following season, he competed with Tim Coleman for a place in the team.[2] Anderson scored five league goals in 15 matches that season and one in the FA Cup, a 3–1 defeat at home to Sheffield United,[3] taking his overall tally to 11 goals in 30 appearances.[2]

Anderson was transferred to Southern League club Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 1903. Commonly known as Wattie,[5] he was signed by Frank Brettell to form part of the Devon club's first professional squad.[6] He made his debut in a 1–0 win at West Ham United on 1 September 1903 and scored his first goal in a 2–1 win at Portsmouth eight days later.[7] Having established himself as their first choice inside right,[8] he scored a hat-trick against Wellingborough on 5 December at Home Park as part of a 4–1 win.[7] Two months later, Anderson contracted pneumonia.[6] He carried on playing, ignoring doctors' advice that he should rest, and collapsed after a match against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 27 February 1904.[6] He was rushed to hospital and died four days later, at the age of 25.[2] He made 38 appearances in all competitions for Plymouth Argyle, scoring 13 goals.[7] A memorial fund was created by the club in his honour and a souvenir handbook was published, which described Anderson as "one of the greatest, cleverest and whole-hearted players a club ever commanded."[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 9.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Walter Anderson". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Arsenal first team line-ups". Andy's Arsenal Resource Website. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "English Division Two (old) 1901–1902 : Table". Statto Organisation. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Rise And Fall of Amateur Era As Brettell Thinks Big". Western Morning News. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Tonkin, W. S. (1963). All About Argyle 1903–1963. Plymouth: E. J. Rickard Ltd. pp. 14–15.
  7. 1 2 3 Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 202–203. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
  8. 1 2 "Walter Anderson". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
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