Trueman Albert Image 2 Southampton 1908

Description

Leicester born left half Albert Trueman represented Leicestershire Schools before playing for Wigston Excelsior in 1897 and Grasmere Swifts in 1898. He spent 1899-1900 on the books of Second Division Leicester Fosse, but didn’t play for the first team before returning to Grasmere Swifts, playing for Coalville Town in 1901, Hinckley Town in 1902, Coalville Town again in 1903 and St Andrew’s of Leicester in 1904. He re-joined Leicester Fosse in 1905 and made his Football League debut against Clapton Orient the same September, scoring twice in 17 appearances during his debut season, followed by a further 19 appearances in 1906-07. However he played only 8 games as Leicester won promotion as Second Division runners up in 1907-08 before a move to the south coast to join Southern League Southampton in May 1908.

He was recruited by The Saints as replacement for the former England international Harry Hadley who had just retired from professional football. Despite being considered too small to be a half-back, Trueman soon proved that his judgement and skill made up for his lack of height and he showed himself to be “quick, resourceful and decisive in action (who was) overall a most difficult obstacle for opposing forwards”. His debut came on 7th September 1908 in a 4-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, when Frank Jefferis scored a hat-trick. He soon became established at left-half alongside Frank Thorpe or Sam Jepp in the centre and John Johnston on the right, although Trueman was able to play in any of the half-back positions. In the 1908-09 season, Trueman made 31 League appearances, with Southampton finishing third in the table, having led the League until a run of injuries to key players such as Thorpe and Jefferis in mid-season disrupted the side.

A series of injuries resulted in Trueman missing large parts of the 1909-10 season but he returned to full fitness for the following season. He made a four representative appearances for The Southern League and scored against the Football League at White Hart Lane in November 1910, He was also given a trial for the full England side but wasn’t selected. Soon afterwards, Trueman grew restless at The Dell and in March 1911 was allowed to return to the Football League to join Sheffield United after 4 goals in 92 appearances for Southampton.

At Bramall Lane, he displaced the England international Albert Sturgess at left-half, with Sturgess moving to the right. Trueman made 57 appearances for Sheffield United before joining Darlington in the North Eastern League in the summer of 1913, playing a season with them and a season with Leicester Imperial until the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football. In September 1916, Trueman was visiting Filbert Street when he was persuaded to turn out as a guest for Leicester in a war-time game against Grimsby Town as the home team were short of players. He finished his career with a spell in Scotland with Clydebank in 1917.