Ted Critchley

Edward Critchley (31 December 1903 – 1996) was an English footballer. A First Division championship winner with Everton, he has been described as "the finest 'homegrown' player ever produced by Stockport County".^[3]

Ted Critchley

Personal information
Full name	Edward Critchley[1]
Date of birth	(1903-12-31)31 December 1903[1]
Place of birth	Ashton-under-Lyne, England[1]
Date of death	1996 (aged 92–93)
Place of death	Stockport, England
Height	5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)[2]
Position(s)	Outside right
Youth career
	Spring Gardens
	Stockport Union Chapel
	Cheadle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Witton Albion
	Stalybridge Celtic
1922–1926	Stockport County	118	(10)
1926–1934	Everton	217	(37)
1934	Preston North End	11	(1)
1934–1935	Port Vale	18	(1)
	South Liverpool
	Macclesfield	40	(2)
Total		404	(51)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Stockport County

Critchley played local football for Spring Gardens, Stockport Union Chapel, Cheadle and Witton Albion before joining Stockport County via Stalybridge Celtic in 1922. He made his debut on 9 December 1922, in a 2–0 defeat to Port Vale at The Old Recreation Ground.^[3] His second appearance came on the last day of the 1922–23 season, as the "Hatters" secured their Second Division status with a 3–0 win over Southampton at Edgeley Park.^[3] County retained their second-tier status in 1923–24 and 1924–25, before finishing at the bottom of the division in 1925–26. He was too good a player to remain in the Third Division North for long in 1926–27. He played 118 games for County before being transferred to Everton for a £2,500 fee in December 1926.^[3]

Everton

In his first game for the "Toffees", he provided the crosses for Dixie Dean to score four goals in a 5–4 win against Sunderland. In his first full season at Goodison Park, 1927–28, Everton won the First Division league title.^[3] He provided many of the passes that enabled Dixie Dean's record-breaking 60 goals.^[3] However, Everton dropped to 18th in 1928–29, before being relegated in last place in 1929–30. Everton then won the Second Division championship in 1930–31, and won the First Division title again in 1931–32.^[3] They dropped to 11th in 1932–33, and Critchley missed the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley after he had scored the winning goal in the semi-final victory over West Ham United, with Albert Geldard selected ahead of him for the final.^[3] The 1933–34 season was his last for Everton. Critchley scored 42 goals in 230 games for Everton before being transferred to Preston North End in 1934.^[4]

Later career

After playing in the first 11 games of the season, he lost his place in the Preston team. He was transferred to Port Vale with cash in exchange for John Friar in December 1934. However, he lost his place in the Vale team in early April 1935, and was released at the end of the season and moved on to South Liverpool.^[1]

Career statistics

Source:^[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stockport County	1922–23	Second Division	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	1923–24	Second Division	37	4	2	0	0	0	39	4
	1924–25	Second Division	25	1	2	0	0	0	27	1
	1925–26	Second Division	38	3	1	0	0	0	39	3
	1926–27	Third Division North	16	2	1	0	0	0	17	2
	Total		118	10	6	0	0	0	124	10
Everton	1926–27	First Division	15	0	0	0	0	0	15	0
	1927–28	First Division	40	6	2	0	0	0	42	6
	1928–29	First Division	25	1	0	0	0	0	25	1
	1929–30	First Division	30	4	2	2	0	0	32	6
	1930–31	Second Division	37	13	4	2	0	0	41	15
	1931–32	First Division	37	8	1	0	0	0	38	8
	1932–33	First Division	17	2	2	1	1	0	20	3
	1933–34	First Division	16	3	1	0	0	0	17	3
	Total		217	37	12	5	1	0	230	42
Preston North End	1934–35	First Division	11	1	0	0	0	0	11	1
Port Vale	1934–35	Second Division	18	1	1	0	0	0	19	1
Career total			364	49	19	5	1	0	384	54

Honours

Everton

• FA Community Shield: 1928 & 1932
• Football League First Division: 1927–28 & 1931–32
• Football League Second Division: 1930–31

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 70. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0. ASIN 0952915200.
2. "The lure of promotion. Stockport County". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
3. "Ted Critchley". Stockport County F.C. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
4. Everton F.C.
5. Ted Critchley at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)