Warney Cresswell

Early career

Cresswell was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear (then in County Durham). He represented South Shields Schools and England Schools as a youngster and played junior football locally. However, the outbreak of World War I prevented him from playing professional football in England, where football was suspended. However, this was not the case in Scotland, where the Scottish Football League continued throughout the hostilities. Hence, the teenage Cresswell moved north of the border to play for Morton, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. He also guested for Tottenham Hotspur. He later enlisted in the army, and was captured and held in a prisoner-of-war camp before being repatriated at the end of the war.

South Shields

In the summer of 1919 he signed for South Shields, then playing in the Second Division. He played for the club in 1919–20, their first season in English Football League, when they finished in ninth place. They finished eighth in 1920–21, and sixth in 1921–22, just six points short of promoted Stoke. In all, he played 104 league and cup matches for the club.

Sunderland

In 1922, he moved to Sunderland, when manager-secretary Bob Kyle authorised a then-world record fee of £5,500. The record was not broken again until Bob Kelly joined him at Sunderland for £6,500 in December 1925. The Black Cats finished as First Division runners-up in 1922–23, six points behind champions Liverpool. They came closer to the title in 1923–24…

Cresswell was capped for England seven times. His first match was against Wales on 14 March 1921, and his last was against Ireland on 19 October 1929. His first appearance was whilst still at South Shields, thus making him South Shield's only England international.

Cresswell played in the right-back position. He was a renowned tackler and famed for his cool demeanour, fine tackling and masterful positional play. He became hugely popular with fans wherever he played, establishing a reputation as a 'gentleman' on and off the pitch. He has been described during his Everton days as: "A stylish English fullback, who made 'modern' runs forward and usually stole the ball from the opposition with skilful rather than crude tackling". One player recounted how his leg was broken following a collision with Cresswell, who appeared later at the hospital with a pouch of smoking tobacco, which at the time was probably considered more manly than flowers or a bag of grapes.

Warneford Cresswell was born on 5 November 1897 in South Shields, County Durham. He was the third of five children to Warneford and Charlotte; his father was a marine engineer. His brother, Frank, also played for Sunderland as well as clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Chester and Notts County. He married Grace H.C. Erikson in 1924, with whom he had one daughter, Audrey (born 1925), and one son, Corbett (1932-2017). Corbett was in the Bishop Auckland team which won the FA Amateur Cup three years in succession in the 1950s. His great-granddaughter is Lincoln-based Olympic swimmer Kate Haywood. After retiring from football, Cresswell went on to manage a pub in the Sunderland area.