Fishwick Bert Image 1 Blackpool 1926

Description

Chorley, Lancashire born inside right Albert “Bert” Fishwick, sometimes known as Alf, started his football career with junior clubs Hamilton Central in 1920, Leyland in 1921 and Lancashire Combination club Chorley in 1922 before joining Third Division (South) club Plymouth Argyle, for whom he made his Football League debut at Northampton Town in November 1923. He found the step-up difficult and chances few and far between, making just seven appearances across the next two seasons, scoring once. Returning to Lancashire initially to Chorley in 1924, he signed for Second Division Blackpool in October a year later, where he netted an impressive 36 times in 58 appearances in two years, and where his 20 goals in 1925-26 saw him easily top The Seasiders’ goalscoring charts.

While at Blackpool he was intriguingly described as “A man of useful proportions… he showed a useful turn of speed and marksmanship which won him the record of goalscorer in chief… Forceful, tricky, unselfish and alive to opportunities. Can adapt himself to any of the inside positions.” He scored a hat-trick for Blackpool in a win over Barnsley in September 1926 and another hat-trick against Reading on Boxing Day 1927. by when he had lost his regular place in the side, playing only 7 matches that season before a transfer to to Port Vale in March 1928 after 37 goals in 58 appearances for Blackpool.

Fishwick then spent three years with Port Vale, mainly as a stand-in, scoring 17 goals in 42 appearances, and he scored 4 times in only 5 appearances as they won the Third Division (North) Championship in 1929-30, followed by another three years with Tranmere Rovers from April 1931, where he scored 9 goals in 93 appearances, where in 1932 he moved to play at centre half and during 1932-33 made a career best 45 season appearances, before finishing his career back where it had started, with a third spell at Chorley, re-joining them in 1934, his final club before his eventual retirement.