.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 January 1873 | ||
| Place of birth | Whittington Moor, Chesterfield, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 March 1936 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Chesterfield, England | ||
| Position(s) | Left half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Waverley | |||
| Staveley Wanderers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1889–1891 | Staveley | ||
| 1891–1909 | Sheffield United | 477 | (55) |
| International career | |||
| 1894–1902 | England | 16 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ernest Needham (21 January 1873 – 8 March 1936) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played in sixteen international football matches for England and captained the side in 1901.
He was an outstanding left half who played for Sheffield United from 1891 until 1910. He was instrumental in their promotion campaign of 1892–93 and then captained their team from 1895 to 1905. Under his captaincy, United won the Football League First Division in 1898 and the FA Cup in 1899 and 1902.
He played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1901 to 1912.
He died of heart attack at Chesterfield Hospital. His funeral at Staveley was attended by thousands.
This year, a couple of Sheffield United enthusiasts, restored his grave in Staveley so many more people can appreciate the football legacy of the ‘Prince of Half-Backs’