Wallace Charlie Image 4 Aston VIlla 1913

Description

Southwick, County Durham born outside right Charlie Wallace is best known for his career at Aston Villa having started his  career in local football with Rectory Park in 1901, playing for Southwick in 1902. He joined Southern League Crystal Palace in 1905 where he rapidly established a growing reputation scoring 13 goals in 56 appearances. He then joined First Division Aston Villa for £500 in May 1907 making his Football League debut against Manchester United the same September. Over the next 13 years he went on to score 58 goals in 349 games, winning the FA Cup in both 1913 and 1920 and also winning the League Championship with Aston Villa in 1910. In addition he was four times a League Championship runner up with Villa in 1908, 1911, 1913 and 1914.

Wallace was the first player to miss a penalty kick in an FA Cup Final, when he missed the target from the spot in 1913 against Sunderland at London’s Crystal Palace. A penalty kick miss would not occur again in FA Cup Final until 1988, when Liverpool player John Aldridge had his penalty saved by Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant. Villa still went on to win 1-0 in the 1913 FA Cup Final, despite Wallace’s miss. Villa’s goal that day came from Tommy Barber courtesy of a Wallace assist from a corner kick. Wallace also played in Villa’s 1920 FA Cup  winning side when they beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the Final, at Stamford Bridge.

He won 3 caps for England either side of World War One, his first coming in a 4-3 victory over Wales at Ashton Gate, and his last in April 1920 in another high scoring win, 5-4 over Scotland at Hillborough, coming more than 6 years since his second cap, and He also appeared five times for The Football League between October 1908 and February 1914.

After 89 goals in 334 appearances for Aston Villa he subsequently transferred to Oldham Athletic for £1,000 in the summer of 1921, retiring in the summer of 1923 after a further 3 goals in 50 appearances for The Latics when they were relegated from the First Division at the end of the 1922-23 season.