Russell Dave Image 1 Preston North End 1888

Description

Beith, Ayrshire born centre half Dave Russell began playing football with Stewarton Cunningham in 1882 and was part of the Scottish professional invasion that made Preston North End the greatest club in England at the end of the 1880’s. A member of their 1888 FA Cup Final team that lost 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion at The Kennington Oval, he missed only 4 matches in Preston’s 1888-89 “Invincibles” season when they won the inaugural League Championship going through the season unbeaten, winning 18 and drawing 4 games. He scored his only goal that season in the FA Cup semi final as Preston avenged their previous year’s defeat in the Final to beat West Bromwich 1-0 at Bramall Lane, and he played as Preston completed The Double with a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at The Kennington Oval two weeks later.

The following season, 1889-90, he was again a key member of the Preston team that won the League Championship, scoring 4 times in 23 appearances during the campaign, but in the summer of 1890 he joined Nottingham Forest and spent two seasons with them in the Football Alliance, which they won in 1891-92. He then joined Second Division Ardwick (Manchester City) for their first season in the Football League, playing in their inaugural League match, a 7-0 thrashing of Bootle, and scoring 3 goals in 19 appearances during his single season at Hyde Road. He later joined Notts County, making 9 appearances for them in 1895-96.