Alf Common	Sheffield United FC, Middlesbrough FC 3 appearances, 2 goals P 3 W 2 D 1 L 0 F 6: A 3 83% successful 1904-07 captain: none minutes played: 270
Timeline
	Alfred Common
Birth	25 May 1880 at 27 North Milburn Street, Millfield, Sunderland, County Durham [registered in Sunderland, June 1880].
Baptism	16 June 1880 in Deptford, County Durham.
	According to the 1881 census, Alfred is the youngest of five children to Robert Ridley and Sarah Ann (née Towers), living at 27 North Milburn Street in Bishop Wearmouth. His father is a ship riveter.
	According to the 1891 census, Alfred now has three younger siblings, and with their parents, they all still live at 27 North Milburn Street. His father still an iron ship riveter.
	According to the 1901 census, Alfred is now an apprentice riveter at the shipyard, still living with his parents, still at 27 North Milburn Street. Alfred is one of the seven children at home.
Marriage	to Ann Cook [registered in Sunderland, County Durham, September 1902]
	According to the 1911 census, Alfred, now married and a professional footballer, employed by Woolwich Arsenal FC, is visiting his hometown, but staying with the Reed family at 246 High Street West in Sunderland.
	According to the 1921 census, Alfred is a licensed vitualler, still married and with one more son, also called Alfred. They live at The Cleaver Hotel in Skinngergate, Darlington, with two servants.
	According to the 1939 register, Alfred, a retired boilermaker, and Ann, remain married and are living at 326 Coniscliffe Road in Darlington, with Gladys C. and Alfred J.C.
	Death: 3 April 1946 at his home at 326 Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, aged 65 years 313 days [registered in Darlington, County Durham, June 1946]. Left £1679 6s. 8d. in his will. Buried in West Cemetery (left) in Darlington, alongside his wife, who died 6 May 1945, and his son, Alfred John Cook, who died 4 March 1977.
	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &
Playing Career
Club(s)	Playing initially for South Hylton FC Juniors, he was soon playing for Jarrow FC.  After a brief stay there, in 1900 he joined Sunderland AFC. But in November 1901, after eighteen league appearances and six goals, he was transferred to Sheffield United FC for £325, where he completed 67 league appearances and scored 21 goals. On 25 June 1904, Common decided he wanted to play for Sunderland again, and he returned in the summer of 1904, for a record £520 fee plus Sheffield United's reserve goalkeeper, Albert Lewis.  After twenty league matches and six goals, on 14 February 1905, Common moved to Middlesbrough FC and its new stadium, Ayresome Park, for another record transfer of fee £1000 plus a match between Middlesbrough FC and Sunderland AFC the following Saturday, in which Sunderland had to pay their own expenses and Middlesbrough kept the gate receipts. It was enough to have a Football League Committee formed to inquire about it. Common made his debut on 25 February 1905 against Sheffield United and scored a penalty. Common was awarded the captaincy, but after some drunken disorderly conduct in Blackpool in September 1907, he was removed from this privilege.  Following another 168 league appearances in which he scored 58 times, he moved on to Woolwich Arsenal FC on 2 July 1910 for £250, making another 77 league appearances and scoring another 23 goals. Common was then sold for £250 to Preston North End FC on 20 December 1912. After 35 league appearances and nine goals, retired in 1914 at the age of 33.
Club honours	Football League runners-up 1900-01; FA Cup winners 1901-02; Football League Division Two winners 1912-13;
Individual honours	Football League (one appearance).
Distinctions	First to achieve a £500 transfer fee and first to achieve a £1000 transfer fee.
Height/Weight	5' 8½", 13st. 0lbs [1903].
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].
England Career
Player number	One of seven who became the 290th players (294) to appear for England.
Position(s)	Inside right/left, centre-forward.
First match	No. 80, 29 February 1904, Wales 2 England 2, a British Championship match at The Racecourse, Mold Road, Wrexham, aged 23 years 280 days.
Last match	No. 87, 19 March 1906, Wales 0 England 1, a British Championship match at The Cardiff Arms Park, Temperance Street, Cardiff, aged 25 years 298 days.
Major tournaments	British Championship 1903-04, 1905-06;
Team honours	British Championship winner 1903-04, shared 1905-06;
Individual honours	England's Joint-Top Goalscorer (two 1904)
Distinctions	None
Beyond England
A boilermaker by trade, he had a Trade Union Membership (no. 63905) from 18 June 1902 until his resignation on 1 February 1930. In 1936, Alf applied who became the chief F.A. Coach of Secondary Schools in Durham, but the job went to Dave Edgar. Other unsuccessful applicants included Dickie Downs and Jack Young. So most of the rest of Common's life was spent in the victualler trade, first as licensee of the Cleaver Hotel, in Darlington's Skinnergate, for 11 years, followed by a further 18 at the Alma Hotel (more recently known as the Beer Engine and the Brown Trout) in Cockerton, from which he retired in 1943. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.71./Darlington Northern Echo article 18 August 2007

Alf Common - Match History
Club: Sheffield United F.C. - 2 full appearances F.A. International Select Committee - 3 full capsx
Age 23
1	80	29 February 1904 - Wales 2 England 2, The Racecourse, Wrexham	BC	AD	Start	ir
2	81	12 March 1904 - Ireland 1 England 3, Cliftonville Gardens, Belfast		AW	Start 16, 65	ir
-	82	9 April 1904 - Scotland 0 England 1, Celtic Park, Glasgow		AW	reserve
Club: Middlesbrough F.C. - 1 full cap
Age 25
-	86	17 February 1906 - Ireland 0 England 5, Solitude Ground, Belfast	BC	AW	reserve
3	87	19 March 1906 - Wales 0 England 1, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		AW	Start	cf
Age 26
-	91	1 April 1907 - England 1 Scotland 1, St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne	BC	HD	reserve

Notes

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