Albert Shepherd

Bolton Wanderers

Shepherd was playing for local amateur club Bolton Temperance when he was offered an amateur contract with First Division side Blackburn Rovers in 1901. However, he was unable to break into the first team and was allowed to leave the club. He instead joined Bolton Wanderers but was allowed to play for amateur club Bolton St. Luke's in the Lancashire Combination before making his professional debut in November 1904. In his first full season, he scored fifteen league goals to help Bolton finish second in the Second Division and gain promotion. He continued his scoring form in the First Division, netting 25 times as he finished as the league's top goalscorer, and was called up to the Football League representative side for a match against their Scottish counterparts. Played at Stamford Bridge, the match ended in a 6–2 victory for the English Football League with Shepherd scoring four times. The following month, he received his first call up for the England squad for a match against Scotland on 7 April 1906. England were reduced to ten men early in the match after Harry Makepeace was forced off with injury. Scotland took a 2–0 lead before Shepherd scored direct from a free-kick in the 81st minute, only the second time an English international player had scored a direct free-kick. Despite his goal, England were unable to regain a foothold in the match with Scotland winning 2–1.

Newcastle United

In November 1908, Shepherd signed for Newcastle…

Shepherd was born at 10 South Street in Great Lever, Bolton, Lancashire. He was the third of three children of Thomas and Martha Shepherd and was baptised at St. Mark's Church on 31 March 1902. His father worked at a cotton mill as a mule spinner. Mules being the name for cotton spinning machinery as invented by Samuel Crompton of Bolton.

Shepherd married Mary Ellen Harwood on 29 May 1906 in Bolton. He died on 8 November 1929 at the Crown & Cushion Inn, a pub where he was licensee, in Bolton at the age of 44, leaving £705 and 12 shillings to his wife in his will. He was buried four days later at Christ Church, Walmsley with former Bolton players Joe Smith, Bert Baverstock, Ted Vizard, Billy Jennings, George Eccles and Jimmy Seddon as pallbearers.

Newcastle United

Football League First Division winner: 1908–09 FA Cup winner: 1910