Players - Matt McQueen

Matt McQueen
Birthdate: 18 May 1863
Birthplace: Harthill, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Date of death: 28 September 1944
Other clubs: West Benhar, Champfleurie, Bo'ness, Hearts (1887-89), Leith Athletic (2 / 1889-92)
Signed from: Leith Athletic
Signed for LFC: 23.10.1892
International debut: 22.03.1890 vs. Wales
International caps: 2/0 (at Leith Athletic) - 21.03.1891
Liverpool debut: 29.10.1892
Last appearance: 01.04.1899
Debut goal: 03.12.1892
Last goal: 07.04.1894
Contract expiry: 1899
Win ratio: 58.25% W:60 D:16 L:27
Honours: Player: Lancashire league 1892/93; Second Division 1893/94, 1895/96; Manager: League Championship 1922/23
League games / goals: 77 / 2
Total games / goals: 103 / 7
League clean sheets: 24
Total clean sheets: 34

Player Profile

Matt, along with his brother Hugh, arrived at Liverpool from Leith Athletic in Scotland only two months into the club's very first season. Matthew, so named after his grandfather, had eight siblings in total, three brothers and five sisters. They lived in Harthill in North Lanarkshire, a small village of only couple of hundred inhabitants that made their living in the coalmines. Matt's father, Peter, was a roadman at the pit, preparing and repairing underground passageways. He later became a Coal Oversman, supervising the safety of the working conditions in the pit. Unavoidably the boys were put to work at the Benhar Colliery. William and Hugh were pony drivers and Matt was a coalminer earning about 4 shillings per day (20 pence in today's money). Matt had already been capped by Scotland as a winger, while at Leith Athletic, before moving south to Merseyside. He and Hugh made their debut in a 9-0 win over Newtown in an FA Cup qualifier on 29 October 1892 and the local press was pleased with the new additions. "At Anfield, the Liverpool Club management are not allowing the grass to grow under their feet, and are kneading together a team which will take more beating than most elevens will be able to give them. The latest captures have been very quietly effected, and in the brothers McQueen they have secured a couple of players far above the average. The debut of the McQueen's must be regarded as a decided success, to judge from the lavish applause extended to them." Matt featured regularly in his first four seasons at the club, making football history as he was certainly the only man in English football history to win two League medals, albeit in the Second Division, as both an outfield player (right half-back) and a goalkeeper. He featured on 45 occasions in Liverpool's goal and his skills were praised in a Liverpool Mercury report after a home 3-3 draw against Wolves on 1 December 1894: "His clean, sharp and adroit work placing him in the highest rank as a cool custodian."

When Arsenal's Harry Storer arrived to claim Matt's goalkeeper's shirt in December 1895, even his versatility could not guarantee him a place in the side and he was only selected six times during the next three seasons. After he finished playing, Matt became a qualified referee. He was chosen to Liverpool's board of directors on 16 December 1919 and then in February 1923 was offered the chance to take over as manager of Liverpool when David Ashworth surprisingly left the defending champions to move to Oldham Athletic. McQueen saw the club safely through to their second successive League Championship. A car accident In November 1923 changed his life as the joint Everton/Liverpool programme commented on in March 1924. "Our opening note must be one of deep sympathy with the unfortunate and regrettable accident which occurred to Mr. Matthew McQueen a little time ago, and which has led to the amputation of a limb. We are certain that all our readers will hope that the popular manager of the Liverpool club will speedily regain health and vigour and that his physical disability will not preclude him from enjoying many years of activity in the football world." After the successive championships of 1922 and 1923, the club’s fortunes declined somewhat with finishes of twelfth, fourth, seventh and ninth and came close to relegation in 1927/28. Since losing his leg Matt's health had deteriorated further and he resigned in February 1928. Matt and his wife, Florence, lived at 32 Kemlyn Road just a stone’s throw from the Anfield stadium and in fact, the Centenary Stand now covers the site where McQueen's house once stood. Matt was a regular and welcome visitor to the club from the day of his retirement until his death at the age of 81 on 28 September 1944.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 77 8 0 0 18 103
1892-1893 0 1 0 0 16 17
1893-1894 27 3 0 0 1 31
1894-1895 23 3 0 0 1 27
1895-1896 22 0 0 0 0 22
1896-1897 1 0 0 0 0 1
1897-1898 2 0 0 0 0 2
1898-1899 2 1 0 0 0 3
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
5 450 Nottingham Forest
5 450 Grimsby Town
4 360 Notts County
4 360 Birmingham City
4 360 Port Vale
4 360 Lincoln City
4 360 Bolton Wanderers
3 270 Preston North End
3 270 Manchester United
3 270 Newcastle United
3 270 Bury
3 270 Arsenal
3 270 Crewe
3 270 Burton Swifts
2 180 Burton Wanderers
2 180 Darwen
2 180 Southport
2 180 Wolves
2 180 Barnsley
2 180 Sheffield Wednesday
2 180 Sheffield United
2 180 Derby
2 180 Sunderland
2 180 Aston Villa
2 180 Blackpool
2 180 Manchester City
2 180 Blackburn Rovers
2 180 Leicester City
2 180 Northwich Vict.
2 180 Fleetwood Rangers
2 180 Heywood Central
2 180 Loughborough
2 180 Middlesbrough I.
2 180 Nelson
2 180 South Shore
2 180 Rotherham Town
1 90 West Manchester
1 90 Rossendale
1 90 Newtown
1 90 WBA
1 90 Burnley
1 90 Walsall
1 90 Everton
1 90 Fairfield
Total Venue
52 Home
48 Away
3 Neutral
Total Competition
77 League
16 Lancashire League
8 FA Cup
2 Test Match
Total W D L Win % Manager
75 44 15 16 58.7% William Edward Barclay
22 15 1 6 68.2% John McKenna
6 1 0 5 16.7% Tom Watson
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 0 0 0 5 7
1892-1893 0 0 0 0 5 5
1893-1894 2 0 0 0 0 2
1894-1895 0 0 0 0 0 0
1895-1896 0 0 0 0 0 0
1896-1897 0 0 0 0 0 0
1897-1898 0 0 0 0 0 0
1898-1899 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Competition
5 Lancashire League
2 League
Total Goal origin
7 Open play
Clean sheets per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 24 3 0 0 7 34
1892-1893 0 1 0 0 6 7
1893-1894 14 1 0 0 1 16
1894-1895 3 1 0 0 0 4
1895-1896 7 0 0 0 0 7
1896-1897 0 0 0 0 0 0
1897-1898 0 0 0 0 0 0
1898-1899 0 0 0 0 0 0
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 29.10.1892 Newtown Anfield FA Cup
50 03.09.1894 Burnley Turf Moor League
100 06.11.1897 Nottingham Forest Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 0 03.12.1892 Fleetwood Rangers Anfield Other
Related Articles
Liverpool Mercury notes

The Liverpool Mercury on 27 November, 1893

1892-1893: Liverpool go Scottish!

We trace the beginnings of Liverpool FC, focusing now on the club's very first season in 1892-1893.

Scrapbook
LFC Programme Obituary
LFC Programme Obituary
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
West Benhar Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Champfleurie Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Bo'ness Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hearts 1887-1889 Scotland Division 1 8 0 8 0
Leith Athletic 1889-1891 Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Leith Athletic 1891-1892 Scotland Division 1 21 3 21 3
Leith Athletic 1892-1893 Scotland Division 1 8 0 8 0
Total 37 3 37 3