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Willie Groves

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Scottish footballer (1868–1908)

Willie Groves
Personal information
Full name Patrick William Groves
Date of birth (1868-08-20)20 August 1868
Place of birth Hutchesontown, Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 13 February 1908(1908-02-13) (aged 39)
Place of death Edinburgh, Scotland
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1885–1888 Hibernian 0 (0)
1888–1890 Celtic 0 (0)
1890–1893 West Bromwich Albion 58 (7)
1893–1894 Aston Villa 22 (4)
1895–1896 Hibernian 5 (1)
1896 Celtic
Total 85 (12)
International career
1888–1890 Scotland 3 (4)
1892 Football League XI 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Patrick William Groves (20 August 1868 – 13 February 1908) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward for Hibernian, Celtic, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Scotland. He is known for being the first player to be transferred for more than £100 (£10,631 in 2023, or roughly half the average price of a house at the time), becoming the first official record holder for the most expensive transfer ever. The record-setting transfer was from West Bromwich Albion F.C. to Aston Villa F.C. in 1893 for exactly £100. Three years later, in 1896, Groves' record was broken when Fred Wheldon was transferred to Aston Villa F.C. from Small Heath Alliance (now Birmingham City F.C.) for between £350 to £500.

Career

Hibernian

Groves, an inside forward, first broke into the Hibernian squad as a 16-year-old during the 1885–86 season. He featured prominently as Hibs won the Scottish Cup the following year, scoring in the first round, second round replay and semi-final. Vale of Leven, Hibs' opponents in the semi-final, protested that Groves had accepted a payment from Hibs, which would have been illegal as the Scottish game was still amateur at the time. The protest was not heard until after Hibs had defeated Dumbarton in the final. Vale of Leven only presented hearsay as evidence, but it took the casting vote of the committee chairman to exonerate Hibs.

In the following year, Groves made his international debut, in an 1888 British Home Championship match against Wales. Groves scored the fourth goal in a 5–1 win for Scotland at Hibernian Park, Hibs' home ground.

Celtic

By August 1888, Groves was one of several Hibs players who moved to the newly formed Celtic. He scored ten goals in the club's 1888–89 Scottish Cup campaign. Groves made two further appearances for the Scotland national football team while with Celtic. In one of those appearances he scored a hat-trick against Ireland in the 1889 British Home Championship.

West Bromwich Albion

Groves moved to the professional English Football League in 1890, signing for West Bromwich Albion. He helped Albion win the 1892 FA Cup Final, playing at half-back as Aston Villa were defeated 3–0.

Aston Villa

Groves subsequently signed for Villa in 1893, becoming the first player to be transferred for over £100. Villa were forced to pay that fee (around £16,000 in today's values) to West Brom and were fined by the Football Association amidst allegations that Groves and Jack Reynolds had been illegally poached. He helped Villa win the league championship in 1894. During his time in England, Groves played for the Football League against the Scottish League. He left Villa in November 1894 after a dispute over his contract with the club arose.

Return to Scotland

After Hibs were elected to join the top division of the Scottish Football League in 1895, Groves returned to the club. During this second spell he played in the 1896 Scottish Cup Final, which Hibs lost 3–1 to Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts. This final is perhaps best known for being the only Scottish Cup Final to be played outside Glasgow. He then briefly returned to Celtic, but soon retired, suffering from tuberculosis. He died in Edinburgh in 1908, aged 39.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Scottish Football League did not commence until the 1890–91 season.

References

  1. Tony Matthews, West Bromwich Albion: the complete record (2007)"
  2. The Football League vs The Scottish League – 1890s, Before The 'D'...Association Football around the world, 1863-1937, 5 April 2014
  3. ^ Willie Groves Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Spartacus Educational
  4. ^ "Logie Green: the final Edinburgh didn't want". The Scotsman. 27 March 2006.
  5. ^ Mackay pp. 35–39.
  6. ^ Sat 10 Mar 1888 Scotland 5 Wales 1, London Hearts.
  7. Mackay, pp42.
  8. Purden, Richard (24 April 2014). "The final resting place of Celtic's first star striker has been discovered". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  9. (Scotland player) William Groves, London Hearts Supporters Club
  10. Sat 9 Mar 1889 Scotland 7 Ireland 0, London Hearts Supporters Club
  11. Kennington Oval – Saturday 19 March 1892 Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk
  12. "The Joy of Six: record transfers". The Guardian, 30 August 2013. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  13. Football: Sidelines, The Independent, 24 January 1998.
  14. 1894 pounds in 2024
  15. ^ Mackay, pp58.
  16. ^ Mackay, pp. 60–61.
Sources

External links

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