Frank Piercy
<templatestyles src="Module:Infobox/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 1880 | ||
Place of birth | Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, England | ||
Date of death | 1931 (aged 50–51) | ||
Position(s) | Centre back | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1899–1904 | Middlesbrough | 4 | (0) |
1904-1912 | West Ham United | 214 | (7) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Frank Piercy (1880–1931) was a footballer who played for Middlesbrough and West Ham United as a centre back.[1]
Piercy was born in Haverton Hill, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, and upon leaving school he became a blacksmith playing amateur football in Southbank for a junior team in the Teessiders Minor League.[2] He joined Middlesbrough in 1901 becoming a professional player. He played only four games for the club.[3]
In 1904 manager Syd King signed Piercy for West Ham United from Middlesbrough, along with Christopher Carrick. He appointed him as captain in 1907 to replace David Gardner who had retired the previous season.[4] Nicknamed "The Old War Horse" during his time at West Ham, Piercy had a tough tackling style and was regularly in trouble with referees. He was once suspended for a month, in September 1907, for punching an opposition player in a match against Swindon Town. In October with little regard for his previous suspension he was sent-off again in a match against Millwall. Piercy tackled Millwall's Charlie Comrie, resulting in him being carried from "the field in an unconscious state". Piercy was again suspended.[2]
Despite his disciplinary problems Piercy became the first West Ham United player to play 200 games when he appeared on 17 April 1911 against Southampton. Tommy Randall replaced Piercy as captain for the 1911-12 season and on 20 January 1912 Piercy was injured against Plymouth Argyle in what turned out to be his final game for West Ham.[1] After playing 214 games he retired from playing and was appointed assistant trainer under Charlie Paynter with responsibility for the reserve team.[2] He was awarded two benefit or testimonial games. The first in 1910 when he was allowed to keep the gate receipts from a West Ham game against New Brompton and posthumously in 1931 when an Isthmian League side played West Ham on 1 October 1931. Piercy was also a member of Essex County bowls team, a cricketer for local teams and held a golf handicap of two.[2]
He died in 1931.[2]
References
- Use dmy dates from May 2016
- Use British English from May 2016
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- English footballers
- Association football defenders
- Middlesbrough F.C. players
- West Ham United F.C. players
- Southern Football League players
- The Football League players
- 1880 births
- 1931 deaths
- Sportspeople from Stockton-on-Tees
- Sportspeople from Yorkshire