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Players Index Page Last Updated
25 November 2022
 
 

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

19
02-06

captain: none
minutes played:
450

Timeline

  Albert Edward Houlker
Birth 27 April 1872 in Blackburn, Lancashire [registered in Blackburn, June 1872].
Baptism 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.  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.

 

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, at Christ Church, Mosely Street in Blackburn, 1896 [registered as Houlkes, in Blackburn, June 1896]. Elizabeth died 1898/99.
 

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 [registered in Blackburn, June 1901].
 

According to the 1911 census, Albert has remarried, another Elizabeth, and they have four children, Elizabeth Ann, Clementyna, Andrey and Albert Edward. Albert is a poer loom overlooker and they all live at 2 Spring View in Blackburn.

 

According to the 1921 census, Albert Edward, a power loom overlooker (at James Livesey's Ewood Mills), is still married, and with their four children, 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 27 May 1962 in Blackburn, aged 90 years 30 days [registered in Blackburn, June 1962].

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. He made 121 league appearances, scoring twice, before he signed for Portsmouth FC on 2 May 1902, after the replayed British Championship match. Made 23 Southern League appearances, 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, he did so for another thirty league appearances, he 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.
Club honours Southern League winners 1903-04;
Individual honours Football League (one appearance)
Distinctions None
Height/Weight 5' 6½", 10st. 5lbs [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
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.
He also started the original No. 76, 5 April 1902, Scotland 1 England 1, the original British Championship match at Ibrox Park, Copland Road, Glasgow. The 'Ibrox Disaster'
Last match 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.

 

Kelly Houlker - Career Statistics
Squads Apps comp. apps Mins. goals ave.min comp. goals Capt. Disc.
7 5 5 450 0 0 min 0 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.

 

Kelly Houlker - Match Record - All Matches - By Type of Match
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 3 1 1 1 5 5 =0 0 0 1.667 1.667 50.0 =0
Away 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 0 2 3.00 0.00 100.0 +2
All - British Championship 5 3 1 1 11 5 +6 0 2 2.20 1.00 70.0 +2

 

Kelly Houlker - Match Record - Tournament Matches
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1901-02 1 0 1 0 2 2 =0 0 0 2.00 2.00 50.0 =0
BC 1902-03 2 1 0 1 3 3 =0 0 0 1.50 1.50 50.0 =0
BC 1905-06 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 0 2 3.00 0.00 100.0 +2
BC All 5 3 1 1 11 5 +6 0 2 2.20 1.00 70.0 +2
All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 5 3 1 1 11 5 +6 0 2 2.20 1.00 70.0 +2
All 5 3 1 1 11 5 +6 0 2 2.20 1.00 70.0 +2

 

Kelly Houlker - Match History
 Club: Blackburn Rovers F.C. - 1 full cap

F.A. International Select Committee - 5 full capsx

Age 29
void 5 April 1902 - Scotland 1 England 1, Ibrox Park, Glasgow BC AD Start lh
Age 30
1 76 3 May 1902 - England 2 Scotland 2, Aston Lower Grounds, Birmingham BC HD Start lh
 Club: Portsmouth F.C. - 2 full appearances  
- 77 14 February 1903 - England 4 Ireland 0, Molineux, Wolverhampton BC HW late reserve
2 78 2 March 1903 - England 2 Wales 1, Fratton Park, Portsmouth HW Start lh
3 79 4 April 1903 - England 1 Scotland 2, Bramall Lane, Sheffield HL Start lh
 Club: Southampton F.C. - 2 full appearances  
Age 33
4 86 17 February 1906 - Ireland 0 England 5, Solitude Ground, Belfast BC AW Start lh
5 87 19 March 1906 - Wales 0 England 1, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff AW Start lh
- 88 7 April 1906 - Scotland 2 England 1, Hampden Park, Glasgow AL withdrew injured

Notes

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