Samuel Ashworth

Samuel Ashworth
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Bolton Ashworth
Date of birth	11 March 1877
Place of birth	Fenton, England
Date of death	30 December 1925 (aged 48)
Place of death	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Stoke Alliance
	Fenton Town
	Stafford Wednesday
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Stafford Rangers
	Stoke Nomads
1901–1903	Stoke
	Oxford City
1903–1904	Manchester City
1904	Reading
1904–1905	Everton
1905–1906	Burslem Port Vale
	North Staffs Nomads
	Northern Nomads
	Sheffield
	Richmond Association
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Samuel Bolton Ashworth (11 March 1877 – 30 December 1925) was an English footballer who played as a defender in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale, Everton, Manchester City and Stoke.^[1] He played for Manchester City in their victory in the 1904 FA Cup final, and also helped both City and Everton to finish second in the First Division.

Career[edit]

Ashworth played for Staffordshire clubs Stoke Alliance, Fenton Town, Stafford Wednesday, Stafford Rangers, and Stoke Nomads, before joining Stoke in 1901.^[1] He played 29 times in 1901–02, being used in all three midfield positions, but lost his first-team place at the Victoria Ground in 1902–03 and made only 10 appearances. He left for Manchester City at the end of the season, who had just won promotion into the First Division.^[1] In his one season at Hyde Road, he won the 1904 FA Cup at Crystal Palace after injury prevented Billy Holmes from playing; City beat Bolton Wanderers 1–0. City also finished second in the Football League, three points behind The Wednesday. However, Ashworth featured in just 22 games all season, and then went on to play for Reading in the Southern League, and then played 11 league games for First Division runners-up Everton in 1904–05, before returning to Staffordshire with Second Division side Burslem Port Vale in October 1905.^[1]^[3] His appearances during the season were restricted due to other commitments, and he left the Athletic Ground in the summer.^[3] He later played for North Staffs Nomads, Northern Nomads, Sheffield and Richmond Association.^[3] He returned to Stoke in 1920 and became a club director until his death in 1925.^[1]

In 1915, a year after the outbreak of the First World War, Ashworth enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery.^[2] He served on the Western Front in France and Belgium and was gassed during fighting on the Ypres Salient, spending three months in hospital.^[2] Ashworth was mentioned in despatches in November 1915 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant the following month.^[2]^[4]^[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke	1901–02^[6]	First Division	25	0	4	0	29	0
Stoke	1902–03^[6]	First Division	9	0	1	0	10	0
Manchester City	1903–04^[7]	First Division	18	0	4	0	22	0
Everton	1904–05^[8]	First Division	11	0	0	0	11	0
Burslem Port Vale	1905–06^[3]	Second Division	4	0	2	0	6	0
Career total			67	0	11	0	78	0

Manchester City

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Yates, Jamie (7 October 2019). "Architect of His Own Success: Samuel Bolton Ashworth – Jamie Yates". Everton FC Heritage Society. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 10. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
^ "No. 29399". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 December 1915. p. 12414.
^ "Samuel Bolton Ashworth | Service Record | Football and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
^ ^a ^b Samuel Ashworth at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
^ "Sam Ashworth – MCFC Players – Manchester City, Man City History – Bluemoon-MCFC". bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
^ Profile evertonfc.com
^ "Manchester City vs Bolton Wanderers, F.A. Cup, Sat 23 April 1904". bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2017.