Eyre Edmund Image 1 Aston Villa 1910

Description

Worksop, Nottinghamshire born outside left Edmund “Ninty” Eyre began his career with Worksop West End in 1903 and gained a reputation as a free scoring and pacy left winger with Midland League clubs Worksop Town, whom he joined in 1904 and then with Rotherham Town, whom he joined in 1905, from where he was signed by First Division Birmingham in 1906, his Football League debut coming against Manchester United in March 1907.

Eyre scored 8 goals in 33 appearances in his first full season, 1907-08, and was Birmingham’s top scorer, but it wasn’t enough to save them from relegation come the season end, and after further impressing in the Second Division he was sold to rivals Aston Villa in December 1908 after 12 goals in 50 appearances for The Blues. He played in most of Aston Villa’s fixtures during the rest of the season but made the first team only 13 times during 1909-10, scoring twice as Aston Villa won the League Championship. After again scoring twice in 14 appearances the next season, as Villa finished runners up in defending their League title, he was sold to Middlesbrough in the close season of 1911 after 8 goals in 45 appearances for The Villains.

At Middlesbrough he had two seasons as a first team regular, but lost his place at the start of the 1913-14 campaign, playing only 4 more times before he left ‘Boro to re-join Birmingham at the end of March 1914 after 15 goals in 69 appearances. But Eyre’s career was effectively ended by the onset of the First World War, which forced peacetime football to be suspended in 1915, by when he had added a further 3 goals in 32 matches to his previous total for The Blues. During the War Eyre served in the Armed Forces and retired from football in 1919.