Milward Alf Image 4 Everton 1897

Description

Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire born outside left Alf Milward began his football career with Old Borlasians and played for Marlow in 1887 from where he signed for Football League club Everton in May 1888, making his debut at Blackburn Rovers that November. He became a regular during 1889-90 as Everton finished runners up in the League Championship, Milward an ever present scoring 14 goals in the campaign, and ever present again as Everton won the League Championship in 1891. By this time Milward was noted as a hard-working outside left at Everton and had forged a great partnership with Edgar Chadwick. He quickly established himself and forced his way into the England squad, being one of five Everton players in the England team to play against Scotland in 1891. He won 4 caps, scoring 3 goals for England through to 1897. He also made one appearance for The Football League.

In 1893 he was part of Everton’s FA Cup Final team that lost 1-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Fallowfield, Manchester and he was again a League Championship runner up in 1895, and an FA Cup runner up in 1897 when they were beaten by Double winners Aston Villa. In the summer of 1897, after 96 goals in 225 matches for Everton over nine seasons, he signed for Second Division club New Brighton Tower, and had twi seasons on The Wirral, initially in the Lancashire League, then scoring 19 goals in 33 matches in their inaugural Football League season of 1898-99, being the club’s top goalscorer,

In May 1899 Milward joined Southern League club Southampton, which boasted a star-studded side of experienced ex-internationals and former top flight players. With Milward in the side they surged past three top flight clubs in 1900 to reach the FA Cup Final, with Milward himself netting a brace to humiliate his former Everton colleagues in the first round. In his third FA Cup Final Milward again was a runner up as The Saints were well beaten by Bury at The Crystal Palace. He was also part of the Southampton team that won the Southern League Championship in 1901. After 35 goals in 56 matches he joined Southern League club New Brompton (now Gillingham) in the summer of 1901, where he was club captain, and played two further seasons before moving to Reading in October 1903, but after a knee injury in January 1905 he moved into non league football with Southampton Cambridge in the Southampton Junior League, retiring in 1906.

NB although the image was published while Milward was at Southampton, it shows him in England shirt with his 1897 cap.