Brummie On Exmoor
master brummie
I would be very grateful for any help, advice or pointers anyone can give me on the following:
Tom ABLEY, a distant cousin, was born in Dudley in early 1888, and later moved to Selly Oak with his family. In 1903, he began playing football with Selly Oak Athletic Club. He went to Bournbrook FC the following season and then to Aston Villa for 2 seasons between 1905 and 1907. Whilst there, he played in a Junior International between England and Scotland, which was played at Villa Park. (England won 2-0). He would have been about 17 or 18 years old. From 1907-1908, he played for Stourbridge FC.
In 1908, he moved to South Wales, and won the South Wales League with the short-lived Mardy AFC, before moving on again for a season to Treharris Athletic FC, and finally to Cardiff City FC for the 1910-1911 season. He was still at Cardiff in 1913, when he became too ill to continue in football, and retired, dying in Cardiff in May 1914.
I have found a reasonable amount online about the Welsh clubs, but can find very little about Selly Oak and Bournbrook. All I know about them is from a newspaper cutting in Welsh Newspaper Archives, giving a short bio of Tom. He was a Striker, and had a good haul of goals to his name apparently. I have seen newspaper reports of games he played in for Mardy and Treharris which show this.
Please, does anyone know about these 2 Midland teams, or about Tom. Where were the grounds? Would he have been an amateur, playing for them. What about when he played for Villa or for Cardiff? In the 1911 Census, he was described as a Labourer, employed by Cardiff City FC. Was this how a footballer would have been described in those days? Would he have been an Apprentice in the Villa set-up, or played for a Youth Team?
All suggestions most gratefully received!
Kind regards,
Jane
Tom ABLEY, a distant cousin, was born in Dudley in early 1888, and later moved to Selly Oak with his family. In 1903, he began playing football with Selly Oak Athletic Club. He went to Bournbrook FC the following season and then to Aston Villa for 2 seasons between 1905 and 1907. Whilst there, he played in a Junior International between England and Scotland, which was played at Villa Park. (England won 2-0). He would have been about 17 or 18 years old. From 1907-1908, he played for Stourbridge FC.
In 1908, he moved to South Wales, and won the South Wales League with the short-lived Mardy AFC, before moving on again for a season to Treharris Athletic FC, and finally to Cardiff City FC for the 1910-1911 season. He was still at Cardiff in 1913, when he became too ill to continue in football, and retired, dying in Cardiff in May 1914.
I have found a reasonable amount online about the Welsh clubs, but can find very little about Selly Oak and Bournbrook. All I know about them is from a newspaper cutting in Welsh Newspaper Archives, giving a short bio of Tom. He was a Striker, and had a good haul of goals to his name apparently. I have seen newspaper reports of games he played in for Mardy and Treharris which show this.
Please, does anyone know about these 2 Midland teams, or about Tom. Where were the grounds? Would he have been an amateur, playing for them. What about when he played for Villa or for Cardiff? In the 1911 Census, he was described as a Labourer, employed by Cardiff City FC. Was this how a footballer would have been described in those days? Would he have been an Apprentice in the Villa set-up, or played for a Youth Team?
All suggestions most gratefully received!
Kind regards,
Jane