Frederick Spiksley was born on the 25th of January 1870 at 3 Willoughby Street, Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, the son of a boilermaker who worked at the Britannia Ironworks in Gainsborough. Fred went on to become a dazzling dribbler, a skill honed through endless childhood practise with a rubber ball in the narrow cobbled streets of Gainsborough. He began his playing career with his school team, Holy Trinity FC, during which time he began to assist Gainsborough Working Mens' FC in 1883, and Horncastle FC whilst also turning out for Trinity Institute FC in 1885, and playing for Gainsborough Wednesday FC. In March 1887 he stepped in as an emergency eleventh man for Gainsborough Trinity FC. and the following month accepted an invitation to play with Jubilee Swifts FC before signing with the Trinity club as a professional in the summer. Blackburn Rovers FC attempted to sign him in 1890 and again in January 1891. After 126 appearances and 131 goals for Trinity, Accrington Stanley FC tried to buy him, offering a higher wage, but on the 26th of January, Fred signed for the Wednesday club effective from the end of that current season. As a slight and silky winger he was lightning quick, "the fastest man in football", according to England international team-mate Billy Bassett. He was peerless in his ability to curl shots and crosses with the outside of his foot, making him a nightmare to defend against. In short, he was a star.
Fred became one of the first working class youngsters in 1887 to live 'the dream' of becoming a professional footballer, later finding a role as a globe-trotting coach as he dodged the inevitability of industrial, poorly paid, dangerous labour. The outside left scored both Sheffield Wednesday's goals in the 2-1 defeat of Wolves in the 1896 FA Cup Final at the Crystal Palace, The first of his two strikes that won the 1896 FA Cup final for Wednesday is believed to be the fastest in a final at 20 seconds. When he joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1891, then known only as Wednesday, they were a non-league club and he was an exciting talent with a prolific scoring record. By the time of his departure a decade later, Wednesday were reigning First Division champions, had won the FA Cup for the first time, and Fred had added a century of league goals to his name. The quick footed Spiksley created and scored hundreds of goals including three against Scotland in 1893. Even though his England career was sporadic, there is enough evidence to suggest he was the first England player to score a hat-trick in both of his first two internationals. In his second match he scored the first treble by an Englishman against Scotland, and was cheered from the touchline at Richmond Park by a barefooted, handkerchief-waving Princess Mary of Teck, who would later marry England's Prince George and become Queen.
He had missed the 1903-04 season because of a knee injury in August 1903, and on the 1st of May 1904, he was informed his contract had been terminated. Wednesday still expected £250 for any release so Fred attended the Football League AGM to plead his case, and won. He signed with Archie Goodall's Glossop North End FC on the 1st of September 1904. despite failing a medical test but was later dismissed by Glossop for failing to relocate. Again, he was granted a free transfer following League intervention and joined Leeds City FC on the 2nd of February 1905 on a 'pay as you play' deal, making seven exhibition appearances. As Leeds joined the Football League, in April 1905 he applied to join Southern United AFC of Nunhead a club in the South-Eastern League Second Division, as player-secretary-manager. His application was successful, starting on the 2nd of June but he was sacked on the 22nd of January 1906. He also spent the duration and subsequent years scouting for Chelsea FC. From February in the 1906 season, John Goodall convinced him to sign with Watford FC, making eleven Southern League appearances and scoring five goals. Even Goodall came out of retirement to play alongside him once again. After not being offered a new playing contract at the end of the season he retired from playing.
Having been forced by injury to stop playing at aged 36, Fred adventured out into the world and ended up joining the circus and working with the Fred Karno Company, briefly starring in a theatre role alongside Charlie Chaplin. He escaped from a German prison at the start of the First World War and later made the first 'talking' football training film for youngsters. His attempts to get into coaching roles had been frustrated, seeing him miss out on jobs with the likes of Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur. He was also rejected by Watford because he liked to gamble, seeing most of the money that he earned ending up in the pockets of bookmakers. He did, however, realise that football had grown in popularity across the world, so he spent the years following his retirement as a player working as a coach. As a coach/manager he won titles in Sweden, Mexico, the USA and Germany, becoming the last Englishman to coach a German title-winning team with 1FC Nuremburg in 1927. After coaching in Barcelona in 1932, it was only after his involvement had exceeded 50 years, during which time the game changed dramatically, did his football career end. As an addicted gambler and womaniser he had his problems away from football. However, he was beloved by his football fans, including Herbert Chapman, the greatest manager of that era in English football who, towards the end of his life, picked him in his finest XI.
Having been forced by injury to stop playing at aged 36, Fred adventured out into the world and ended up joining the circus and working with the Fred Karno Company, briefly starring in a theatre role alongside Charlie Chaplin. He escaped from a German prison at the start of the First World War and later made the first 'talking' football training film for youngsters. His attempts to get into coaching roles had been frustrated, seeing him miss out on jobs with the likes of Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur. He was also rejected by Watford because he liked to gamble, seeing most of the money that he earned ending up in the pockets of bookmakers. He did, however, realise that football had grown in popularity across the world, so he spent the years following his retirement as a player working as a coach. As a coach/manager he won titles in Sweden, Mexico, the USA and Germany, becoming the last Englishman to coach a German title-winning team with 1FC Nuremburg in 1927. After coaching in Barcelona in 1932, it was only after his involvement had exceeded 50 years, during which time the game changed dramatically, did his football career end. As an addicted gambler and womaniser he had his problems away from football. However, he was beloved by his football fans, including Herbert Chapman, the greatest manager of that era in English football who, towards the end of his life, picked him in his finest XI.
For a more detailed description of this man's remarkable life the above book by Mark Metcalf is worth a read.
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