England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
7 January 2023
 
 
 

Harry Hibbs

Birmingham FC

25 appearances, 26 goals against
10 clean sheets, 2 penalties conceded, 1 saved

P 25 W 16 D 4 L 5 F 69: A 26
72% successful

1929-36

captain: none
minutes played:
2250

Timeline

  Edward Henry Hibbs
Birth 27 May 1906 in Wilnecote, Tamworth, Staffordshire [registered as Edward Henry in Tamworth, September 1906].
 

According to the 1911 census, Harry is one of two children to Harry and Matilda. His father is a loader in the coal mines, and the four of them lived with Harry senior's widowed mother, Hibb's grandmother, Martha. They live at 283 Watling Street in Wilnecote.

 

According to the 1921 census, Harry is a coal sorter at the Tame Valley colliery and is the oldest of the three children at home with their parents at Quarry Hill in Wilnecote.
According to passenger lists, Hibbs, along with other footballers, was part of a tour of South Africa that returned to Southampton on 5 August 1929 from Cape Town on board the SS Arundel Castle. His address was stated as Quarry Mill in Tamworth.
He was also one of eighteen footballers on an FA Tour, courtesy of Canadian Pacific Railway Company, had left the port of Liverpool on 11 May 1931, bound for Montreal, Canada, on the Duchess of Richmond. They returned from Quebec, arriving at Southampton on 23 July 1931, on board the Empress of Britain. He was living at 'Mayfield' in Watling Street, Wilnecote
.

Marriage to Vera May Jones, on 11 January 1930, at Polesworth [registered as Henry E. in Atherstone, Warwickshire, March 1930].
"The Rev. A. J. Price, Vicar of Wilnecote, the well-known Rugby referee, officiated at the ceremony. The bride was attired in beige suede georgette, with hat and shoes to match. There were two bridesmaids. The bride was given away by Ernest Kester, her cousin, who is goalkeeper for Atherstone Town and formerly played in a similar capacity for Nuneaton Town and Hinckley United. The bridegroom later left for Droitwich to join the Birmingham team in their training for the English Cup tie to-day". - Saturday, 11 January 1930, The Birmingham Gazette
They had wo children Derick (b.1930) and Jean Winifred (b.22 September 1933)
  Cannot be found on the 1939 register.
Death 23 April 1984 in Welwyn Garden City, aged 77 years 332 days [registered as Henry Edward in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, April 1984].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Playing Career

Club(s) Started his junior career with Wilnecote Holy Trinity FC of the Tamworth & District Church & Schools League alongside Harold Pearson, who was at Glascote. He represented Birmingham Juniors against a Scottish Juniors side in 1924. He also kept goal for Tamworth Castle FC, from where Birmingham FC signed him on 18 April 1924 (in an Edinburgh Picture House), ahead of Sunderland AFC, for the cost of a friendly match, played on 13 December 1924. Hibbs had already kept goal for Birmingham FC reserves for three matches before he was signed. He remained with the St. Andrews club until he announced his retirement on 26 March 1940, making his final appearance on 13 April, in a testimonial in his own honour against rivals Aston Villa FC (won 2-1 in front of a maximum 15,000 crowd). He had made 348 league appearances in goal. He played in the Birmingham Works League during the war, until he joined Walsall FC as manager. However, during the 1953-54 season, Hibbs was 'granted a permit' to play with Hatfield outfit, De Havilland FC, whom he was coaching.
Club honours The Lord Mayor of Birmingham Cup Final shared 1923-24 (Hibbs' debut as a seventeen year-old); FA Charity Shield winners 1929 (with Professionals); FA Cup runners-up 1930-31;
Individual honours Football League (three appearances)
Distinctions Cousin of Harold Pearson. The two of them organised a friendly match on 30 April 1928, Hibbs XI versus a Pearson XI, to raise funs for Tamworth Castle FC, at the Jolly Sailor Ground in Tamworth.
On 9 April 1932, Hibbs kept goal for Birmingham FC against Huddersfield Town AFC at Leeds Road. In the first half, he collided with Town's Robson and lost six teeth, as well as extensive cuts and bruises around his mouth. He returned for the second half and kept the game at a 1-1 draw.
Height/Weight 5' 9½", 12st. 2lbs [1931].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Management Career

Club(s) Appointed as the club manager of Walsall FC on 5 August 1944, until he resigned on 20 June 1951. Appointed manager at the Welwyn Garden City FC team in July 1951. Coached De Havilland (the Hatfield version of the club) in 1953. Returned to part-time management with Ware FC, in the Delphian League, for a few months from August 1960.
Club honours Football League Division Three (South) Cup runners-up 1945-46;
Their best League performance under Hibbs was third in Football League Divsion Three (North) 1947-48; With an average crowd of 15,711, which has never been bettered. The following season, Walsall FC reached round four of FA Cup, beaten by Luton Town AFC 4-0.

England Career

Player number One of two who became the 547th players (547) to appear for England. 61st goalkeeper to appear
Position(s) Goalkeeper
First match No. 169, 20 November 1929, England 6 Wales 0, a British Championship match at Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, Fulham, London, aged 23 years 177 days.
Last match No. 201, 5 February 1936, England 1 Wales 2, a British Championship match at Molineux Stadium, Waterloo Road North, St. Peter's, Wolverhampton, aged 29 years 254 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1929-30, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1933-34;
Team honours British Championship winners 1929-30, 1931-32, shared 1930-31, 1934-35;
Individual honours FA Tour of South Africa 1929; FA Tour of Canada 1931;
Distinctions From 1935, Hibbs became England's most appearanced goalkeeper, a record he took from Sam Hardy, and held until 1962. First goalkeeper to keep eight, nine, then ten clean sheets.
most appearanced Englishman for Birmingham City FC.

Died twenty days after Johnny Arnold and 22 days after Tom Smalley

Beyond England

Originally a plumber's apprentice, he was at Welwyn, Hertfordshire. after leaving the professional game, as a van driver for a comb manufacturing company. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.127/128.

 

Harry Hibbs - Career Statistics
Squads Apps Comp
Apps
Mins. GA GA Av.
min
Comp GA Clean
Sheets
Cln
Sht Av
Capt. Disc.
25 25 16 2250 26 87 min 17 10 40% none none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.

 

Harry Hibbs - Match Record - All Matches
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 12 10 0 2 42 14 +28 0 3 3.50 1.167 83.3 +8
Away 13 6 4 3 27 12 +15 4 7 2.077 0.923 61.5 +3
All 25 16 4 5 69 26 +43 4 10 2.76 1.04 72.0 +11

 

Harry Hibbs - Match Record - By Type of Match
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
British Championship 16 10 1 5 42 17 +25 3 6 2.625 1.063 65.6 +5
Friendly 9 6 3 0 27 9 +18 1 4 3.00 1.00 83.3 +6
All 25 16 4 5 69 26 +43 4 10 2.76 1.04 72.0 +11

 

Harry Hibbs - Match Record - Tournament Matches
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1929-30 2 2 0 0 11 2 +9 0 1 5.50 1.00 100.0 +2
BC 1930-31 3 2 0 1 9 3 +6 1 1 3.00 1.00 66.7 +1
BC 1931-32 2 2 0 0 9 3 +6 0 0 4.50 1.50 100.0 +6
BC 1932-33 3 1 1 1 2 2 =0 1 2 0.667 0.667 50.0 =0
BC 1933-34 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2 0 1 2.00 1.00 50.0 =0
BC 1934-35 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 1 1 2.00 1.00 66.7 +1
BC 1935-36 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
BC All 16 10 1 5 42 17 +25 3 6 2.625 1.063 65.6 +5
All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 16 10 1 5 42 17 +25 3 6 2.625 1.063 65.6 +5
All 16 10 1 5 42 17 +25 3 6 2.625 1.063 65.6 +5

Harry Hibbs - Match History
 

 Club: Birmingham F.C. - 25 full appearances (2250 min), 26 GA

F.A. International Selection Committee - 25 full appearances (2250 min)x


Age 23
1 169 20 November 1929 - England 6 Wales 0, Stamford Bridge, Fulham BC HW Start gk
2 170 5 April 1930 - England 5 Scotland 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley BC HW Start gk
3 171 10 May 1930 - Grmany 3 England 3, Deutsches Stadion, Berlin tour AD Start gk
4 172 14 May 1930 - Austria 0 England 0, Hohe Warte Stadion, Wien AD Start gk

Age 24
5 173 20 October 1930 - England 5 Ireland 1, Bramall Lane, Sheffield BC HW Start gk
6 174 22 November 1930 Wales 0 England 4, The Racecourse, Wrexham BC AW Start 71 gk
7 175 28 March 1931 - Scotland 2 England 0, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC AL Start gk
  

Age 25
8 178 17 October 1931 - Ireland 2 England 6, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW Start gk
9 179 18 November 1931 - England 3 Wales 1, Anfield Road, Liverpool BC HW Start gk
10 180 9 December 1931 - England 7 Spain 1, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury Fr HW Start gk
  

Age 26
11 182 17 October 1932 - England 1 Ireland 0, Bloomfield Road, Blackpool BC HW Start gk
12 183 16 November 1932 - Wales 0 England 0, The Racecourse, Wrexham BC AD Start gk
13 184 7 December 1932 - England 4 Austria 3, Stamford Bridge, Fulham Fr HW Start gk
14 185 1 April 1933 - Scotland 2 England 1, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC AL Start gk
15 186 13 May 1933 - Italy 1 England 1, Stadio NPNF, Roma tour AD Start gk
16 187 20 May 1933 - Switzerland 0 England 4, Stadion Neufeld, Bern AW Start gk

Age 27
17 188 14 October 1933 - Ireland 0 England 3, Windsor Park, Belfast BC AW Start gk
18 189 15 November 1933 - England 1 Wales 2, St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne BC HL Start gk
19 190 6 December 1933 - England 4 France 1, White Hart Lane, Tottenham Fr HW Start gk
  

Age 28
20 194 29 September 1934 - Wales 0 England 4, Ninian Park, Cardiff BC AW Start gk
  
21 196 6 February 1935 - England 2 Ireland 1, Goodison Park, Liverpool BC HW Start 57 gk
22 197 6 April 1935 - Scotland 2 England 0, Hampden Park, Glasgow BC AL Start gk
23 198 18 May 1935 - Netherlands 0 England 1, Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam Fr AW Start gk
  

Age 29
24 200 4 December 1935 - England 3 Germany 0, White Hart Lane, Tottenham Fr HW Start gk
25 201 5 February 1936 - England 1 Wales 2, Molineux, Wolverhampton BC HL Start gk
  

Notes

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