|
Kelly
Houlker |
Blackburn Rovers FC,
Portsmouth FC, Southampton FC
5 appearances, 0 goals
P 5 W 3 D 1 L 1 F
11:
A
5
70% successful
1902-06
captain: none
minutes played: 450 |
|
 |
|
Timeline |
| |
Albert Edward Houlker |
|
Birth |
Saturday,
27 April 1872 in Blackburn, Lancashire |
|
|
registered in Blackburn April-June 1872 |
|
Baptism |
Sunday,
20 October 1872 in St Mary the Virgin Church, Blackburn. They live in
Islington, Blackburn, Baptism by Vicar E. Birch. His father, William
Henry is a tackler. |
|
|
According to the 1881 census,
Albert E. Houlker is the second of five children to William and
Clementine (née Ditchfield). Working in the cotton mill, his father is a power loom
overlooker, his mother is a weaver. They live at 12 Carlisle Street in
Blackburn.
(His mother died in 1887) |
|
|
According to the 1891 census,
Albert now has a further three younger siblings, and along with two other
siblings, they live with his widowed father at 39 Carlisle Street. Albert
is a cotton weaver, his father an overlooker. |
|
First marriage |
to Elizabeth Ann Haworth, on Saturday, 2 May 1896, at Christ Church, Mosely Street
in Blackburn, Lancashire.
A week later, Albert will be a witness
for his brother-in-law, Henry Haworth, and his marriage at the same venue,
to Elizabeth Hayhurst. |
|
|
registered as Houlkes in Blackburn April-June 1896 |
|
children |
Albert and Elizabeth Houlker had one daughter together. Elizabeth Ann
(b.16 March 1899) |
|
|
His wife, Elizabeth died,
probably giving birth, on 16 March 1899
According to the 1901 census,
Albert is a widower and an overlooker in the cotton mill. He lives in 47
Hope Street in Blackburn. |
|
Second marriage |
to Elizabeth Ormerod, on Tuesday, 9 April 1901, in Blackburn,
Lancashire |
|
|
registered in Blackburn April-June 1901 |
|
children |
Albert and this Elizabeth Houlker had three children together. Clementyna
(b.25 June 1902), Audrey (b.6 August 1904) and Albert
Edward (b.24 May 1907) |
|
|
According to the 1911 census,
Albert has remarried, another Elizabeth, and they have four children,
Elizabeth Ann, Clementyna, Audrey and Albert. Albert snr. is a power loom
overlooker and they all live at 2 Spring View in Blackburn.
(His
father died in 1918) |
|
|
According to the
1921 census, Albert Edward, still a power loom overlooker (at James Livesey's
Ewood Mills), is still married, and with their four children, they live at 160
Downham Street in Blackburn. |
|
|
According to the 1939 register,
Albert and Elizabeth are still married and
still living at
160 Downham Street, he is a carrier and coal merchant. |
|
Death |
Sunday,
27 May 1962 in Blackburn, Lancashire |
|
aged
90 years 30 days |
registered in Blackburn April-June 1962 |
|
Funeral |
Cremated on Wednesday, 30 May 1962 in Blackburn |
|
|
His second
wife, Elizabeth Houlker, died at the end of 1966. |
|
Source |
 Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] & |
|
Playing Career |
Club(s) |
Played schoolboy
football in Blackburn and then assisted several junior clubs in that
town's district, including Blackburn Hornets FC, Oswaldtwistle Rovers FC,
Cob Wall FC and Park Road FC, before joining Blackburn Rovers FC in the
1893-94 season, before he signed for Portsmouth FC on 2 May 1902,
after the replayed British Championship match.
Made 23 Southern League appearances, and scored once. Joined
Southampton FC on 1 May 1903, making another 59
Southern League appearances, scoring three goals. Houlker was
allowed by the FA to return to Blackburn Rovers FC on 7 May 1906. The
transfer was finally confirmed on 15 July, because Southampton had offered
Kelly the maximum wage, thus making any move from club against the rules
and therefore implausible, but he had been required to carry on his trade
in his hometown and was permitted to return home,
and retired a year
later. Houlker did play for Colne FC in September 1909. He signed with
them on 6 September 1910 and played with them until at least November 1911.
Also played as an emergency back-up for Blackburn Rovers FC in a wartime
match on 26 January 1918 and once more on 16 March, five weeks away from
his 46th birthday. |
League honours
152 appearances, 2 goals |
Blackburn Rovers
FC 1893-1902 121 appearances
debut: 12 September 1896
Bolton Wanderers FC 0 Blackburn Rovers FC 0.
Blackburn Rovers FC 1906-07 31 appearances
debut: 1 September
1906 Aston Villa FC 4 Blackburn Rovers FC 2.
last: 15 February 1909
Blackburn Rovers FC 3 Aston Villa FC 1. |
|
Club honours |
Football League Division One
fourth place 1901-02 (29ᵃ 1ᵍ), 1908-09 (5ᵃ);
Southern League winners
1903-04; |
|
Individual honours |
Football League (one appearance) |
|
Distinctions |
None |
|
Height/Weight |
5' 6½", 10st. 4lbs [1902].
Newspaper reports at the time of his transfer to
Portsmouth FC gave him a weight of 10st. 8lbs. |
|
Source |
Douglas Lammings' An English
Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]. |
|
England Career |
|
Player number |
One of two
who became 276th
players (277) to appear for England. |
|
Position(s) |
Left-half |
|
False
start |
No. 76,
5 April 1902, Scotland 1 England 1,
the original British Championship match at Ibrox Park, Copland Road, Glasgow, aged 29
years 343 days. The 'Ibrox Disaster' |
|
First match |
No. 76,
3 May 1902, England 2
Scotland
2, a replayed British Championship
match at Aston Lower Grounds, Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham, aged 30 years
6 days. |
Last match
3 years 320 days |
No. 87, 19 March 1906, Wales 0
England 1, a British Championship match at Cardiff Arms Park, Temperance Town, Cardiff, aged 33 years 326 days. |
|
Major tournaments |
British Championship 1901-02,
1902-03, 1905-06; |
|
Team honours |
British Championship
shared 1902-03, 1905-06; |
|
Individual honours |
None |
|
Distinctions |
Cousin of
Arthur
Cowell |
|
Beyond England |
|
On leaving football was an overlooker
at a Blackburn mill, then ran a coal and haulage business in the town
before retiring in 1947. -
An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who.
Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.137. |
England
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