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Reginald Courtenay Welch

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Reginald Courtenay Welch (17 October 1851 – 4 June 1939) was a key player in the early years of association football. He played for The Wanderers in the FA Cup Finals of 1872 and 1873, and also played for England in the first ever international match.[1] During his career he appeared both in goal and as a defender.

Career

Welch was born in Kensington, London and attended Harrow School whom he represented at "soccer", going on to play for Old Harrovians before joining Harrow Chequers. As an amateur he also played for The Wanderers, with whom he played as goalkeeper in the final of the inaugural FA Cup tournament. The match took place on 16 March 1872 at the Kennington Oval, London, England, with the Wanderers running out as 1-0 victors over a team from the Royal Engineers.

On 30 November 1872 he was part of the England team that played out a 0-0 draw in the first official international match against Scotland. In this match he played as half back in a 1-1-8 or 1-2-7 formation.[1] He is the only player to have represented Harrow Chequers F.C. whilst on England duty.[2] His record of having played in both the first FA Cup Final and the first international match is unique.

In the next year, The Wanderers reached their second consecutive final and Welch was again on the winning side, this time playing in defence as The Wanderers beat Oxford University 2-0 at Lillie Bridge.

On 7 March 1874, he made his second (and last) England appearance, now in goal, but this time he was on the losing side as England went down 2-1 to Scotland.[3]

He was also a member of The F.A. committee between 1873 and 1875, and again from 1879 to 1890. He was also an Army tutor between 1883 and 1895, going on to become principal of the Army College at Farnham, Surrey in 1895.[4] He was the last survivor of the England team from the inaugural international match, although he was outlived by Scotland's Billy MacKinnon.

Honours

Club The Wanderers

International England

References

  1. ^ a b "England National Football Team Match No. 1". England Football Online. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
  2. ^ "Club Affiliations: Harrow Chequers". England Football Online. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Scotland 2 - England 1, 7th March 1874". www.englandstats.com. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
  4. ^ Graham Betts (2006). England: Player by player. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 1-905009-63-1.

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