Len Armitage

Len Armitage
Personal information
Full name Leonard Armitage[1]
Date of birth (1899-10-20)20 October 1899
Place of birth Sheffield, England[1]
Date of death 24 June 1972(1972-06-24) (aged 72)[1]
Place of death Wortley, South Yorkshire, England[1]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Playing position Defender / Forward
Youth career
Sheffield Forge & Rolling Mills
Walkley Amateurs
Wadsley Bridge
1914–1919 Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1919–1920 Sheffield Wednesday 3 (0)
1920–1923 Leeds United 48 (11)
1923–1924 Wigan Borough 28 (21)
1924–1931 Stoke City 194 (19)
1932 Rhyl Athletic
1932–1934 Port Vale 11 (2)
Total 284 (53)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Leonard Armitage (20 October 1899 – 24 June 1972) was an English footballer who could play both in defence and attack. He made a total of 284 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League.

In 1914, he signed with Sheffield Wednesday. He moved on to Leeds United in August 1920, before joining Wigan Borough in 1923, where he scored a remarkable 21 goals in 23 games. The following year he signed with Stoke City, and remained with the club for seven seasons, helping the "Potters" to the Third Division North title in 1926–27. He had a brief spell with Rhyl Athletic before ending his career in 1934 following a two-year spell with Port Vale.

His grandfather, Tom, was a cricketer who played for England in their inaugural Test match.[3]

Playing career

Armitage played for Sheffield Forge & Rolling Mills, Walkley Amateurs and Wadsley Bridge, before joining Sheffield Wednesday as an amateur in October 1914 after winning English Schools Shield with Sheffield.[4] He went on to sign professional forms with the club in August 1919 after serving as a soldier during World War I.[4] He played three league games in his six years at Hillsborough. He signed with Leeds United in August 1920, and scored the club's first ever goal in the Football League.[2] He hit three goals in seven games in 1920–21, helping United to finish 14th in the Second Division. He scored eight goals in 32 games in 1921–22, as Leeds rose to eighth place. However, he featured just 14 times in the 1922–23 campaign. He then left Elland Road for Wigan Borough in May 1923. He appeared 28 times for the Third Division North side, and was the club's top scorer in the 1923–24 season with 21 goals.

He was transferred to Stoke in March 1924 in exchange for Andy Smith.[4] Armitage was converted into a half-back.[3] He played three Second Division games at the end of the 1923–24 season.[4] He played 18 games in 1924–25, as the "Potters" avoided relegation after finishing just a single point ahead of Crystal Palace.[4] He featured 14 times in 1925–26 as the club (now called Stoke City) was relegated after tallying three points fewer than the previous season. Injuries and illness restricted him to five goals in only three games in 1926–27, helping Stoke to win the Third Division North title at the first attempt.[4] He managed to make 41 appearances in the 1927–28 season, as City finished in fifth place, just five points short of the promotion places. He played 40 games in 1928–29, as Stoke this time finished seven points short of promotion. He played for the "Professionals" in the 1929 FA Charity Shield.[5] Stoke dropped to 11th in 1929–30, with Armitage playing 31 games. He featured 27 times in 1930–31, as City again finished 11th. He played four games in 1931–32, before losing his first team place to Bill Robertson and leaving the Victoria Ground for a brief spell with Rhyl Athletic.[4]

Armitage joined Port Vale in December 1932.[1] He started off with a first team spot but soon lost it to the more youthful Jack Round, as Armitage struggled with a knee injury.[1] He posted 11 appearances in 1932–33, but played just the one Second Division game in 1933–34 before he left The Old Recreation Ground on a free transfer in May 1934.[1]

Style of play

Armitage was as "strong as a bull" and noted for his bravery and stamina.[4]

Statistics

Source:[6]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sheffield Wednesday 1919–20 First Division 300030
Leeds United 1920–21 Second Division 611273
1921–22 Second Division 31810328
1922–23 Second Division 11231143
Total 4811535314
Wigan Borough 1923–24 Third Division North 2821313122
Stoke City 1923–24 Second Division 300030
1924–25 Second Division 17210182
1925–26 Second Division 14000140
1926–27 Third Division North 22500225
1927–28 Second Division 38430414
1928–29 Second Division 39310403
1929–30 Second Division 30210312
1930–31 Second Division 27300273
1931–32 Second Division 400040
Total 194196020019
Port Vale 1932–33 Second Division 10210112
1933–34 Second Division 101020
Total 11220132
Career Total 2845316430057

Honours

with Stoke City

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 8. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. 1 2 "profile". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  3. 1 2 Dykes, Garth (2011). Wigan Borough in the Football League: A Complete Record and Who's Who 1921–1931. Tony Brown. ISBN 978-1-905891-53-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Matthews, Tony (18 December 2008). The Legends of Stoke City. Derby, United Kingdom: Breedon Books. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-1-85983-653-8.
  5. ↑ "Professionals v. Amateurs – selected teams for annual match". Derby Daily Telegraph. 26 September 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 21 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ↑ Len Armitage at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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