Albert Stubbins

Albert Stubbins (17 July 1919 – 28 December 2002) was an English footballer. He played in the position of centre forward, although his career was limited by the onset of World War II. While playing for Liverpool, he won the League Championship in 1947. He was later included on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Albert Stubbins
Personal information
Date of birth (1919-07-17)17 July 1919
Place of birth Wallsend, England
Date of death 28 December 2002(2002-12-28) (aged 83)
Playing position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
Whitley & Monkseaton
Sunderland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1937–1946 Newcastle United 27 (5)
1946–1953 Liverpool 159 (75)
1953–1954 Ashington
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and playing career

Born in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England, he spent his early years in the United States, returning to Wallsend, where he attended Carville School, in 1929. Stubbins first played for Newcastle United in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In wartime games (classified as friendlies) he scored 188 goals in just 231 appearances.

In 1946 he was signed by Liverpool for a then club record of £12,500. Stubbins had also been approached by Liverpool's closest rivals, Everton, and he settled the decision with a toss of the coin. He made an immediate impact at the club: making his debut on 14 September 1946 in a league match at Burnden Park he scored an 82nd-minute goal as the Reds left it late to claim a 3–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Following his move to Liverpool, Stubbins scored 28 goals (24 league goals) in the 1946–7 season (making him joint top scorer with Jack Balmer) helping Liverpool to win the League Championship, their first in 24 years. Stubbins also scored 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948–9 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he then helped Liverpool reach the 1950 FA Cup Final, the first time Liverpool had appeared at Wembley. However, they lost to Arsenal by two goals to nil.

On 18 October 1950, at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road, Stubbins netted five goals in the Football League's 6–3 victory over the Irish League in an exhibition match.[1]

Injuries forced him to retire in 1953, having scored 83 goals in 178 appearances, or 1 every 2.1 games. Despite his club success, he played for the England only once, in an unofficial international against Wales in 1945, a game England lost 1–0.

Following his retirement, Stubbins entered a full-time career in sports journalism, although he briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the New York Americans in 1960.

Stubbins later appeared on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the only footballer to be depicted. He also has a Liverpool FC fan club named in his honour. He also featured as a minor character in Stephen Baxter's time-travelling novel The Time Ships. He died in 2002, aged 82, after a short illness.

Career details
  • Wartime guest games (1939–1946) – 231 appearances, 188 goals
  • Liverpool FC (1946–1953) – 178 appearances, 83 goals, Football League First Division (Level 1) championship winners medal (1947), F.A Cup runners-up medal (1950)

Statistics
Club performance [2]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Others Total
App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals
Liverpool 1952–53 5000----0050
1951–52 12500----00125
1950–51 23610----00246
1949–50 281071----003511
1948–49 15631----00187
1947–48 402422----004226
1946–47 362464----004228
Total 159 75 19 8 – – – – 0 0 178 83
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References
  1. Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-905411-50-2.
  2. "Liverpool career stats for Albert Stubbins - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
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