Anstey Brendel Image 1 Aston Villa 1912

Description

Keynsham, Bristol born goalkeeper Brendel Anstey began his football career with Hanham Athletic, from where he was signed by Southern League club Bristol Rovers in 1909, from where he was signed by First Division club Aston Villa, making his Football League debut at Newcastle United in March 1911, playing 9 matches before the end of the season as Aston Villa finished runners up in the League Championship, having understudied the veteran Billy George and fellow ex Pirate goalkeeper Arthur Cartlidge.

Anstey enjoyed the most regular football of his career in 1911-12, making 24 appearances for Aston Villa between October and March, taking the gloves from the legendary amateur goalkeeper Dick Roose before he moved to Woolwich Arsenal and losing them to Leonard Richards and Albert Lindon for the season run in, but once Aston Villa signed legendary England goalkeeper Sam Hardy from Liverpool in 1912, both Anstey and Richards competed for the understudy role for three further seasons, Anstey making a dozen appearances, 11 of those coming in Hardy’s absence as Aston Villa again finished runners up in the League Championship in both 1913 and 1914.

The onset of the First World War forcing the suspension of peacetime football then severely interrupted Anstey’s career, by when Anstey had made 45 appearances for Aston Villa, and after the War he joined Second Division club Leicester City, making 7 appearances in the late summer of 1919 before being dropped in favour of Herbert Bown after a 4-0 home defeat to Huddersfield Town, who never missed a match thereafter, Anstey then joining Southern League club Mid Rhondda in 1920 before joining Wednesbury Old Athletic in 1921, his last recorded club before his eventual retirement.