Lockett Arthur Image 2 Aston Villa 1903

Description

Alsagers Bank, Audley, Staffordshire born outside left Arthur Lockett played for local amateur sides Alsager’s Bank from 1893, Audley in November 1896 and Cross Heath in 1897, playing again for Audley in October 1898 before joining Crewe Alexandra in July 1899. He joined First Division Stoke for a small fee in May 1900 and made his Football League debut at Aston Villa in September 1900. He played 16 times during the 1900-01 season as Stoke fought a successful battle against relegation. Lockett established himself in the first team the next season which saw Stoke again in relegation trouble and for the second season running they survived on the final day.

Lockett experienced a much better 1902-03 campaign as Stoke finished sixth in the League Championship, their highest League position to that point. Lockett’s good form was rewarded as he was called up for England when he played in a 4-0 win over Ireland at Molineux in February 1903, and while this would prove to be the only England cap he would win, he did also appear once for The Football League in a 3-1 win over The Irish League at Bradford in October 1903.

Before the season was finished Lockett joined Aston Villa for £400 in April 1903 where he spent two seasons scoring 5 goals in 41 appearances before joining Preston North End in April 1905, where he converted to play at left back in 1906. He scored 5 goals in 66 appearances for Preston over his three seasons at Deepdale and was a regular as they finished as runners up to Liverpool in the League Championship in 1906, before joining Southern League Watford in August 1908. He then had four seasons at Cassio Road, scoring once in 154 appearances.

So highly esteemed was Lockett among the Cassio Road faithful that his release after four seasons prompted a petition urging the Board’s reconsideration, but the decision stood and he rejoined his former Watford manager John Goodall at Welsh Southern League Second Division club Mardy in October 1912, where he subsequently succeeded him as manager in April 1913, continuing to play for the club before leaving them and retiring from the game in 1914, when Mardy resigned from the League at the end of the 1913-14 season.