Edmonds George “Eddie” Image 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1921

Description

Watford, Hertfordshire born centre forward George “Eddie” Edmonds started his football career with local junior clubs St Stephen’s, Andre & Sleigh in 1910, Watford Wednesday in 1911 and St Albans City in 1912, where he scored 62 goals in 65 games, before joining Southern League club Watford as an amateur in February 1913, turning professional in July 1914, before when he had represented Hertfordshire. Before turning professional he also played for South v North in an England Amateur trial with Albert Green and Ernie Grimsdell. He made his Watford debut at Crystal Palace in April 1914 and scored 17 goals in 35 games as Watford won the 1914-15 Southern League Championship. However his career was interrupted by the First World War, during which he made a handful of appearances for Watford and also played for Crystal Palace in wartime games.

After the First World War he returned to Vicarage Road playing 1919-20 in the Southern League, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in September 1919 and five goals in a match away at Merthyr Tydfil in March 1920 as Watford finished runners up to Portsmouth on goal average. Having scored 47 goals in 85 appearances he signed for Second Division Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1,500 in May 1920 (Val Gregory went with him for the same amount), having already been called up as an England reserve in October 1919 for the match against Ireland in Belfast.

He made his Football League debut at Fulham in August 1920, and by the end of the season Wolves went all the way to the 1921 FA Cup Final where they lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge with Edmonds scoring 4 goals in the Cup run, including the goal that sealed their FA Cup semi final replay win over Cardiff City at Old Trafford. He joined Fulham in October 1923 after 42 goals in 126 appearances and was again called into the England squad in May 1924, again being unlucky to only be a reserve against France in Paris.

He played three years at Craven Cottage scoring 26 goals in 73 appearances before returning to Watford for £250 in September 1926, staying just one season and scoring 13 goals in 23 appearances before joining non league Northfleet in October 1927. He later became the coach of Bushey United in August 1931.

NB of passing interest I am informed that when Edmonds lined up in the 1921 FA Cup Final against Arthur Grimsdell of Tottenham Hotspur, this is the only occasion where former St Albans City players have lined up against each other in the Cup Final (several have played in Cup Finals but not against each other).