Bell Laurie Image 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1896

Description

Langbank, Renfrewshire born centre forward Lawrie Bell began his playing career with Dumbarton in 1892 before transferring to Third Lanark in 1894. He joined First Division Sheffield Wednesday in 1895 making his Football League debut at Everton that September and he won the 1896 FA Cup Final with Wednesday as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in the Final at The Crystal Palace with two Fred Spiksley goals. He joined Everton in the close season of 1897 after 13 goals in 54 appearances for Wednesday and he was part of Everton’s 1898 FA Cup semi final team that lost 3-1 to Derby County at Molineux.

After 20 goals in 48 games at Goodison he joined Bolton Wanderers in the summer of 1899, playing four seasons at Burnden Park and top scoring with 23 goals as Bolton were promoted as Second Division runners up in 1899-1900, a tally which included a hat-trick against Loughborough and 4 goals as Bolton beat Burton Swifts 5-0 in the last game of the season. His 45 goals in 103 appearances for The Trotters was followed by a move to Southern League Brentford in the summer of 1903 after Bolton’s relegation, where he scored 4 goals in 28 appearances for The Bees, and he then had a season at West Bromwich Albion in 1904-05 which saw 6 goals in 17 appearances. He then returned to Scottish football joining Hibernian before his eventual retirement.

NB he appears to be wearing a Sheffield Wednesday shirt in the image, published in 1902 when Bell was at Bolton Wanderers, and if so the photograph was probably taken in 1896.