A prolific scorer for Liverpool’s reserves, Blanthorne received just two opportunities to demonstrate his ability in the league side. The Birkenhead-born centre-forward joined from his hometown club on 2 November 1905 and scored 22 goals for the second team in his first season, followed by another 17 in 1906/07. Standing 6ft 1in (185 cm) and weighing 13 stone (83 kg), he was a conspicuous figure in Liverpool’s attack, although doubts about his pace would limit his progress at Anfield. His first-team chance finally arrived against Bristol City at Anfield on 13 April 1907. Blanthorne led the forward line, with William Macpherson and Sam Raybould occupying the inside-forward positions, but Liverpool lost 4–2. Retained for Middlesbrough’s visit four days later, he scored his only senior goal for the club. Unfortunately, Liverpool were already trailing 4–1 at half-time, and his second-half effort merely reduced the margin in another 4–2 defeat. His entire competitive Liverpool career was therefore confined to two home matches within five days.
Blanthorne had entered a struggling team. Writing in the Cricket and Football Field on 20 April 1907, Richard Samuel lamented Liverpool’s deterioration since winning the championship a year earlier. He considered the defence more culpable than the attack in the latest defeats, but also felt that Blanthorne had failed to fulfil the hopes surrounding his promotion. The centre-forward returned to reserve football, unable to convince Liverpool that his scoring record at that level could outweigh the perceived lack of “speed and dash”. A move to Grimsby Town in October 1907 gave him the sustained opportunity he had lacked at Anfield. He scored twice on his debut in a 2–2 draw with Blackpool and finished the season with 21 goals in 33 League and FA Cup appearances. His outstanding performance came against Carlisle United on 1 February 1908, when he scored five times in a 6–2 FA Cup victory. He had also scored in the first-round replay win over Bristol City, helping Grimsby reach the quarter-finals before Newcastle United ended their run with a 5–1 victory at St James’ Park.
Newcastle subsequently offered Blanthorne another chance in the First Division. The Hull Daily Mail reported on 5 May 1908 that they had agreed a £350 fee, adding that Blanthorne had firmly rejected an approach from Hull City. His promising move ended disastrously on his league debut against Bradford City on 2 September. According to the following day’s Dundee Courier, he broke his leg in a second-half collision with Bradford defender Fred Farren. It proved to be his only league appearance for Newcastle. The injury kept him out for approximately sixteen months. In January 1910, the Evening Telegraph announced his intended return against Blyth Spartans in the Newcastle Infirmary Cup, noting that he had not played since the accident. A year later, the same newspaper reported his transfer to Hartlepools United and offered an optimistic assessment of his recovery, based on his performances for Newcastle’s reserves. The revival was brief: he scored on his Hartlepools debut against Carlisle and finished with three goals in six appearances before injury brought his playing career to an end.
