Moffatt Hugh Image 2 Oldham Athletic 1912

Description

Congleton, Cheshire born wing half Hugh Moffatt began his football career locally with Congleton Juniors in 1902 and Congleton Swifts in 1903, before joining Second Division Burnley, still as an amateur, in January 1904, making his Football League debut playing at left back against Barnsley that April. From the beginning of the 1904-05 season he was a regular in the Burnley starting eleven, mostly playing at left back, and he turned professional in July 1905, mainly playing at left half from October that year a season in which he was an ever present for Burnley. He returned to the left back position from April 1907 before returning to left half from October 1908.

In December 1910 he was sold to First Division club Oldham Athletic after 13 goals in 214 appearances over eight seasons for The Clarets, and he immediately made the right half berth his own for The Latics. Moffatt continued to be a mainstay to the Oldham first team until peacetime football was abandoned in May 1915 due to the onset of the First World War, scoring 10 goals in 182 games for The Latics, mostly at right half but with spells at left back and even at centre forward. During his time at Boundary Park he not only was a near ever present in their 1911-12 and 1914-15 campaigns, when he missed only one match, also playing in Oldham’s 1913 FA Cup semi final team that lost to eventual winners Aston Villa at Ewood Park, Blackburn, but he was also selected for England, winning a single cap in a 4-3 win over Wales at Ashton Gate in March 1913. He also twice represented The Football League in matches in 1910 and 1912.

He served as a private in The Cheshire Regiment, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), The Labour Corps and The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) during the First World War. After the War he joined non league Chesterfield Municipal in 1919 before returning to finish his career with Cheshire County League club Congleton Town in 1920.

NB although published in 1912 the photograph appears to show Moffatt wearing a Burnley shirt, so was probably taken between 1908 and 1910.