Harwood: Alfred James (Alf)

1906-1907 (Leeds City Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Bishop Auckland: 16-05-1881

Debut: v Burnley (a): 02-03-1907

5’8” 11st 6lb (1907)

Harwood started with his home town Amateur team Bishop Auckland, when still only eighteen. He joined them in 1899, before joining another famous Amateur team in Crook Town in 1900-01. He was one of the stars of the Amateur game and won an F.A. Amateur Cup medal with Crook Town in 1901 when they beat King's Lynn 3-0 on 13th April 1901 at Ipswich, Suffolk, in the replay, after the teams finished one goal each at Dovercourt in Essex seven days earlier. He did not stay long at Crook Town and returned to Bishop Auckland in 1901. He made his F.A. debut in the FA Cup Intermediate Round against Burnley on 14th December 1901 as the men from Turf Moor won 2-3 at Kingsway, Bishop Auckland to advance to the First Round Proper. He was also in their team when they reached the Cup Final, only to be beaten 5-1 in the Final at Headingley, by Old Malvernians, the team of Old Boys from Malvern College in Worcestershire, on 12th April 1902. His achievements in the amateur game included representing the Northern League, winning Durham Cup medals and a Northern League Championship. He also represented the Northern League before turning professional with Southern League club Fulham in May 1903, making his debut for them at Tottenham Hotspur on 14th September 1903. He had three years there before playing his final game at Plymouth Argyle on 24th January 1906. The Cottagers won the Southern League in 1906, shortly after which Harwood joined Leeds City in May 1906. He had scored his first goal for the Cottagers at Brighton on 11th February 1905 and added a second, his only goals for the club. He only played eleven games in the Southern League in 1903-04 and three more in 1904-05 and both his goals came in that season. Apart from those Southern League appearances he started six more in the London League, six in the Western League and four in the F.A. Cup, all in the 1903-04 season. He played at Full back, Right half and Centre forward while at Fulham. He found it hard to break into the Leeds team as David “Soldier” Wilson and then Billy McLeod were the preferred Centre Forward. In fact he only played one game for City scoring on debut in a 2-1 win at Burnley on 2nd March 1907, when he filled in for the injured Billy McLeod. But he showed what he could do when he scored from a Fred Parnell in the first few minutes. Nimrod in the Mercury said “Harwood made his first appearance with the League team, and by no means disgraced himself. He swung the ball out nicely to his wings, and, had he shown a little more nerve in challenging the Burnley defence, he would have been wholly successful.” He was, however, a regular in the City Reserves, scoring forty goals for the season and he scored both goals in the 1907 West Riding Challenge Cup Final when City beat Kippax Parish Church 2-0 on 13th April 1907. He played in a benefit match against Hull City on 19th November 1906, following the untimely death of regular centre-forward David Wilson. Harwood scored twice in a 3-3 draw, putting the ball home after the keeper failed to hold a shot from Fred Parnell. Linesman reported in the Mercury: "On yesterday's play Morgan and Harwood would do credit to the first team, and it is difficult to see why they should be kept out. Morgan is one of the best half-backs at Elland Road, and Harwood is the most successful centre who has been played for some time." He left for Southern League West Ham United in 1907. Harwood made his debut against Reading on 23rd November 1907 at Left Back, but failed to get a regular place in the side. In the 1908-09 season Harwood played nine games at left-back. He left West Ham in August 1909, after failing to find the net in twelve appearances. This was to be expected, as all his games were as a Full Back. He made his debut in 23rd November 1907 in a 1-0 win at Reading, in front of a crowd of 6,000 in the Southern League. He went on to play another two in the 1909-10 season, followed by nine in the 1908-09 season to bring his appearances to twelve. He played his final game at Northampton Town, on 27th February 1909, in front of a crowd of 5,000, where they received a six goal thrashing. He left the Hammers in August 1909 and he spent the next five years playing Amateur football in his native North-East with Spennymoor United and then his home town team, Bishop Auckland in 1913. Harwood’s football career came to an end with the outbreak of the First World War.