Sandford Teddy Image 5 West Bromwich Albion 1931

Description

Handsworth, Birmingham born inside forward Teddy Sanford played junior football for Tantany Athletic in 1925, Overend Wesley in 1926, Birmingham Carriage Works in 1927 and Smethwick Highfield in 1928. In October 1929, while still an amateur, he joined Second Division West Bromwich Albion, the club that his uncle Abe Jones had represented between 1896 and 1901. Sandford turned professional in May 1930 and scored on his Football League debut in November of the same year when Albion beat Preston North End 3-2 in a Division Two match at Deepdale.

During his first season, he was part of the Albion side that won promotion to the First Division and that also beat Birmingham 2-1 in the 1931 FA Cup Final at Wembley. In November 1932 he won his only England cap, in a 0-0 draw with Wales at Wrexham. Sandford scored in the 1935 FA Cup Final, but West Bromwich Albion lost the match 4-2 to Sheffield Wednesday. He joined Sheffield United for £1,500 in March 1939 after 75 goals in 375 appearances for The Baggies, but only scored once in 5 appearances in the spring of 1939 before the intervention of the Second World War. He finished his career with non league Morris Commercial, joining them later in 1939 and retiring in May 1943.

In this photograph Albion captain Tommy Glidden carries the FA Cup with team-mates at Wembley Stadium in the aftermath of their 2-1 victory over Birmingham in the FA Cup Final on 25th April 1931.

The players are (l-r): Joe Carter, W.G.”Ginger” Richardson, Bill Richardson, Glidden, Herbert Trentham (back), Tommy Magee, Teddy Sandford, George Shaw.