Grenyer Alan Image 4 Everton 1920

Description

North Shields, Northumberland born left half Alan Grenyer began his football career with North Shields Collingwood and played for North Eastern League club North Shields Athletic in 1909, from where he was signed by First Division club Everton in November 1910, making his Football League debut against Nottingham Forest in April 1911. From October 1912 Grenyer featured regularly in the Everton first team, although he made only 14 appearances, 9 of those on the run in, as Everton won the League Championship in 1914-15, the final peacetime season before League football was suspended due to the onset of the First World War, during which he played wartime league matches for Everton. He also represented The Football League against The Scottish League in a wartime (unofficial) inter league match played at St. Andrews, Birmingham in February 1919, which the English Leaguers won 3-1.

When peacetime football resumed in 1919, Grenyer returned to Goodison Park and 1919-20 proved his most productive season for The Toffees, scoring 5 goals in 34 matches. Grenyer remained a first team regular until November 1921, receiving a benefit match against Aston Villa in January 1922. However thereafter he played only a handful of matches in 1922 and 1923, and none at all in 1923-24 before a return to the north east when he signed for Second Division club South Shields in November 1924 after 9 goals in 148 appearances for Everton over 14 war interrupted years.

Grenyer featured only once for South Shields during 1925 but played nearly half their matches in both the 1926-27 and 1927-28 seasons, but after their relegation in 1928 played only three further matches that September before rejoining North Shields in 1929 after 5 goals in 43 appearances, already aged 37, before his eventual retirement.