Beresford Joe Image 5 Aston Villa 1934

Description

Shuttlewood, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire born inside forward Joe Beresford began his football career with Askerm Road WMC in 1921 and played for Bentley Colliery in 1922 and Mexborough in 1924 where he netted 60 goals in two seasons and won the Midland League Championship before joining Mansfield Town in May 1926 for a modest fee, unusual between non league clubs. After 18 goals in 35 appearances for The Stags, he signed for First Division Aston Villa from Mansfield Town for £750 in May 1927 and made his debut at Liverpool that September. On his home debut two days later he scored a hat-trick against Portsmouth in a 7-2 victory, following it up with a hat-trick against Sheffield Wednesday in a 5-4 win on Christmas Eve.

He was a regular in their first team over the next eight seasons and made 251 appearances for Villa, scoring 73 goals and was part of their teams that finished runners up in the League Championship in 1930-31, when he scored a career best 14 goals which included a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Leicester City in February 1931, and again in 1932-33, and for five seasons with Beresford a regular Villa finished in the top five each season. He was an FA Cup semi finalist in March 1934 but Villa were thumped by eventual winners Manchester City at Leeds Road, Huddersfield.

In April 1933 he was called into the England squad for their international with Scotland at Hampden Park but was a non playing reserve, as he was the same year for the internationals against Wales and France, and the following year against Scotland and Hungary, before finally winning his only England cap in a 2-1 defeat to Czechoslovakia in May 1934. He also made two appearances for The Football League.

Signing for Preston North End for £1,000 in September 1935 he was part of their team that reached the 1937 FA Cup Final losing 3-1 to Sunderland at Wembley. but would only play 5 times more before dropping down a division and moving to Swansea Town alongside Leslie Vernon in exchange for George Lowrie in December 1937 after 12 goals in 85 appearances for The Lilywhites. He scored only once in 14 appearances for The Swans in 1937-38 before calling an end to his professional career in June 1938, when he signed for Birmingham & District League Stourbridge, retiring in 1940.

His younger brother was Frank Beresford, who played professionally in the 1930’s for Doncaster Rovers, Preston No

NB In this extremely rare photograph, taken before England’s tour match against Czechoslovakia in Prague on 16th May 1934, Beresford won his only cap for England, England losing the match 2-1. The full line up is as follows (l to r):

Tommy Gardner – Aston Villa

Cliff Bastin – Arsenal

Ernie Hart – Leeds United

Horace Burrows – Sheffield Wednesday

Fred Tilson – Manchester City (England’s goalscorer)

Frank Moss – Arsenal

Sammy Crooks – Derby County

Tom Cooper – Derby County (captain)

Joe Beresford – Aston Villa

Eric Brook – Manchester City

Eddie Hapgood – Arsenal