Players - Dick Forshaw

Dick Forshaw
Birthdate: 20 August 1895
Birthplace: Preston, England
Date of death: 1963
Other clubs: Gateshead St. Vincent; Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough (wartime guest), Everton (1927-29), Wolverhampton Wanderers (1929-30), Hednesford Town (1930), Rhyl Athletic (1930), Waterford (1930-31)
Signed from: Free Transfer
Signed for LFC: 31.07.1919
Liverpool debut: 08.09.1919
Last appearance: 23.02.1927
Debut goal: 20.09.1919
Last goal: 15.01.1927
Contract expiry: 02.03.1927
Win ratio: 46.53% W:134 D:76 L:78
Games/goals ratio: 2.32
Honours: League Championship 1921/22, 1922/23
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 2 / 0
Wartime games/goals: 2 / 0
League games / goals: 266 / 117
Total games / goals: 288 / 124

Player Profile

Inside-left forward Forshaw joined Liverpool after serving for four years in Ceylon with the Royal Garrison Artillery. Introduced into the Liverpool first eleven after the opening three fixtures of the 1919/20 season, Forshaw played in 23 first division games and scored seven times, including a hat-trick against Derby County in helping his club finish the season in fourth place. Another fourth-place finish followed a year later when Forshaw's contribution was nine goals from 27 appearances. It was during the next two years that Forshaw really came to prominence, not missing a single game as the club won the league title in consecutive seasons, 1921/22 and 1922/23 and scoring 36 times in those 84 appearances. Although Forshaw only missed three games when Liverpool unsuccessfully went for a championship hat-trick, his goals tally was down to five but 'normal service' was resumed in 1924/25 when he was easily the club's leading scorer with 19 and he bettered that in what was to prove his final full season at Anfield with 27 from only 32 league games in 1925/26. Forshaw was portrayed by the Derby Daily Telegraph in 1921 as "a brainy, unorthodox lad, who does the unexpected thing, but that has been his secret of success. An opponent never knows what Forshaw will do. He never forgets his partner, but is not bound hand and foot to him. Has a powerful shot in either foot."

In March 1927, the 31-year-old Forshaw had weighed in with 14 goals when he made the short trip across Stanley Park to continue his career with Everton. A quote from Everton's minute books reveals: "Forshaw - Secy. reported having asked the L'pool Club if they were prepared to part with this player & the result was an interview with the L'pool club after our match today at which it was agreed to obtain this player at a fee of £3750 & an engagement up to 5th May 1928 at limit wage & £10 signing on bonus." It was very surprising that Liverpool's Board accepted Blues' offer and the move came not at least as a surprise to Forshaw himself who came home to find the respective secretaries of the clubs waiting for him to announce their agreement to him. His wife, who was a staunch Liverpool supporter, was not at all pleased and declared: "I have never been an Evertonian and I don't know what I shall do about it."

Forshaw starred along with the great Dixie Dean at Everton, picking up his third League championship in his first full season in 1928 becoming the first player to win the title with both Liverpool and Everton.

It certainly wasn’t due to lack of form Forshaw was sold but to fill the Anfield cashier’s coffers. Supporter “Red Dingle” was shocked to see Forshaw go and composed “A Supporter’s Lament.”

“It’s all very well for directors  
To say we shouldn’t cuss;  
They think of nowt but £.s.d.  
But blimey – what price us?  
For there isn’t a man in the thousands  
That occupy Spion Kop  
Who agrees with the transfer of Dickie,  
The boy with the twinkling hop  
 
Supposing you’ve been a supporter  
For more years than you care to tell:  
And owing to treatment in years gone by  
Wished the Everton club in Division 2:  
Would you like to see your favourite sold  
Without as much as a wink?  
It’s enough to drive us up a pole.  
You’ll agree with me, I think.” 

Forshaw made the news for less desirable reasons in April 1932 when he was charged for theft. He had been given £100 by one Richard Green of Alexandra Drive in Liverpool, to place on long shot Grand Salute to win the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, in June 1931. The horse won and Green was entitled to £2,050. Forshaw disappeared with the winnings to be later tracked down in Kilburn, London. Forshaw subsequently produced vouchers showing the money had been placed with three bookmakers, but the bets actually made were only £2 each so the accused had drawn £188. The vouchers had been altered to represent to Mr. Green that the whole of his £100 had been placed with the bookmakers. Forshaw pleaded guilty to four charges of theft but asked for leniency as he had been pressed for money. The court heard that since he retired from football in 1931 he had been a failed commission agent and ran a fish and chip business in London with his wife. He was deemed to have acted with "peculiar meanness" and was sentenced to 12 months’ hard labour.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 266 21 0 0 1 288
1919-1920 23 0 0 0 0 23
1920-1921 27 0 0 0 0 27
1921-1922 42 3 0 0 1 46
1922-1923 42 4 0 0 0 46
1923-1924 39 5 0 0 0 44
1924-1925 37 3 0 0 0 40
1925-1926 32 3 0 0 0 35
1926-1927 24 3 0 0 0 27
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
16 1440 Newcastle United
16 1440 Arsenal
14 1260 WBA
13 1170 Bolton Wanderers
13 1170 Tottenham
13 1170 Manchester City
13 1170 Blackburn Rovers
13 1170 Sunderland
13 1170 Aston Villa
13 1170 Huddersfield Town
12 1080 Preston North End
12 1080 Everton
11 990 Birmingham City
11 990 Sheffield United
10 900 Burnley
9 810 Cardiff City
8 720 Manchester United
8 720 Chelsea
7 630 Middlesbrough
6 540 Leeds United
6 540 Oldham Athletic
6 540 West Ham United
6 540 Notts County
5 450 Bradford City
5 450 Southampton
5 450 Derby
4 360 Nottingham Forest
4 360 Bradford Park Avenue
3 270 Sheffield Wednesday
3 270 Leicester City
3 270 Bury
2 180 Stoke City
2 180 Bournemouth
1 90 Southport
1 90 Wolves
1 90 Fulham
Total Venue
148 Home
139 Away
1 Neutral
Total Competition
266 League
21 FA Cup
1 Charity Shield
Total W D L Win % Manager
161 67 44 50 41.6% Matt McQueen
104 55 27 22 52.9% David Ashworth
12 9 3 0 75% Caretaker Manager
11 3 2 6 27.3% George Patterson
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 117 7 0 0 0 124
1919-1920 7 0 0 0 0 7
1920-1921 9 0 0 0 0 9
1921-1922 17 3 0 0 0 20
1922-1923 19 1 0 0 0 20
1923-1924 5 1 0 0 0 6
1924-1925 19 0 0 0 0 19
1925-1926 27 2 0 0 0 29
1926-1927 14 0 0 0 0 14
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Wartime Appearances / Goals
Season Appearances Goals
1918-1919 2 0
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 08.09.1919 Arsenal Highbury League
50 07.05.1921 Arsenal Anfield League
100 06.09.1922 Sunderland Anfield League
150 29.09.1923 Burnley Anfield League
200 15.11.1924 Burnley Turf Moor League
250 27.02.1926 Manchester City Maine Road League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 30 20.09.1919 Aston Villa Villa Park League
50 5 17.02.1923 Blackburn Rovers Anfield League
100 20 06.02.1926 Everton Goodison Park League
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Profile sketch from Liverpool Echo - 1924/25
Profile sketch from Liverpool Echo - 1924/25
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 11 September 1926
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 11 September 1926
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 26 November 1926
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 26 November 1926
Supporters dismayed by Forshaw's transfer to Everton in March 1927
Supporters dismayed by Forshaw's transfer to Everton in March 1927
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Gateshead St. Vincent N/A N/A N/A N/A
Everton 1926-1927 England First Division 10 2 10 2
Everton 1927-1928 England First Division 23 5 23 5
Everton 1928-1929 England First Division 8 1 9 1
Wolves 1929-1930 England Second Division 6 4 6 4
Hednesdford Town 1930 Birmingham & District League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rhyl Athletic 1930 Birmingham & District League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Waterford 1930-1931 League of Ireland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 47 12 48 12