Hargraves: Joseph Frederick (Fred)

1905-1907 (Leeds City Player Details)

Centre Forward/Wing Half

Born: Atherstone, Warwickshire: ?-03-1880

Debut: v Bradford City (a): 02-09-1905

Height & Weight: Unknown

Atherstone born centre forward Fred Hargraves started his football career with hometown junior club Atherstone Town in 1899 and joined Aston Villa in July 1901, spending 1901-02 on their staff without making a first team appearance. He joined Walsall in 1902 and from there moved to Second Division Burton United in July 1903, making his Football League debut in a 0-3 loss to Bolton Wanderers at Burnden Park on 1st September 1903. He was Burton’s top scorer in his debut season with eighteen goals, half of which were scored in FA Cup ties and his two seasons for United produced Twenty-three goals in seventy appearances. Fifty-six games in the League from which he netted fourteen goals while in the F.A. Cup he netted nine goals from fourteen ties. He joined the newly accepted League Division Two Leeds City in July 1905 and made his debut, along with Burton United team-mate team-mate Goalkeeper Harry Bromage in the second division on 2nd September 1905 in a 0-1 defeat at Valley Parade to Bradford City. He was at Centre forward in that opener, but he missed the next two fixtures as Tom Drain was given his chance. Even though Drain secored both Leeds goals in a 2-2 home draw with Lincoln City, in the second of the two, Hargraves returned and he became a regular at centre-forward for the majority of the season. He repaid the club's faith in him by opening his goal-tally in his third appearance, in a 3-1 home win over Hull City, and went on to score twelve goals in twenty-eight League games and seven goals in six F.A. Cup ties. The nineteen goals notched in his debut season, made him the club's overall leading goalscorer. However four of those F.A. Cup goals were in the 11-0 defeat of lowly Morley in the FA Cup First Round on 7th October 1904. He also captained the team on a number of occasions when regular skipper Dick Ray was absent. In his second season for City, Hargraves switched to right-half, after first David "Soldier" Wilson, then Billy McLeod were bought to bolster the goals for column. So it was no surprise that he failed to contribute to the City goals for tally but he did play thirty-three League and one F.A. games and to usually good reports from the newspapers. So, after he had played in all but five games in 1906-07 season, it was quite a surprise that he only appeared just twice in 1907-08 and then not at all the following 1908-09 season. He came then, as no surprise when he left Leeds in 1908 for Birmingham & District League side Stoke and scored eleven goals in fourteen League matches and one F.A. Cup game, for the “Potters” in 1908-09. He later played in the Birmingham and District League with Kidderminster Harriers and Stafford Rangers. His two brothers also played in that League. He enlisted at Atherstone on 11th December 1915 and was initially stationed at Cooden Camp, Bexhill on 30th June 1916 and became a Gunner in the 346th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. He was killed in action in Belgium at Passchendaele on 19th October 1917 at the age of thirty-seven. In all his Army information he is known Hargrave whilst newspaper and football sources always referred to him as Hargraves.