Gault Ernie Image 2 Stockport County 1921

Description

Wallsend, Northumberland born inside forward Ernie Gault signed for First Division Everton from Jarrow Caledonians in 1912, making his Football League debut at Derby County that September. He scored in the Merseyside derby at Anfield a month later in a 2-0 win, but this was his only goal in 8 appearances for The Toffees and the following summer he was sold to Second Division club Stockport County. He was a regular at Edgeley Park over the next two seasons, scoring 21 goals in 65 games before the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football in May 1915, and during the War he scored 32 goals for The Hatters in 52 wartime appearances.

On resumption of peacetime football he re-joined Everton, scoring 12 goals in 22 matches in their 1919-20 campaign, before joining newly elected Second Division League club Cardiff City, playing in their second ever League match that August, but only once more in September, before he re-joined Stockport County in December 1921. He couldn’t save County from relegation from the Second Division at the end of the season, but his 11 goals in 28 appearances the following campaign helped ensure an immediate return as 1923 Third Division (North) Champions. Gault however joined Lancashire Combination club New Brighton at the end of the season but didn’t appear for them in the Football League once they joined it a year later, having already retired.