Calverley: Alfred (Alf)

1944-1945 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Outside Left

Born: Huddersfield: 24-11-1917

Debut v Bradford Park Avenue (a): 26-08-1944

Height & Weight: Unknown

Calverley started with his hometown team but left to join Non-League Mossley, where he played two games without scoring, in the 1939-40 season. He rejoined his native Huddersfield Town in November 1943. At Leeds Road, during the War years, he did guest for several clubs, including Town and Leeds United. With Huddersfield he played four times in 1939-40, four times in 1943-44 and once in 1944-45. Leeds would have cause to remember one of the games on Christmas Day 1943, in front of 7,792, the record crowd for that season at Leeds Road, Calverley hit a hat-trick in Town's 3-0 victory. But, he did twice play for United, at Outside Left in the opening fixtures of the 1944-45 season. Both games were against Bradford Park Avenue and although Leeds scored three times in each game they failed to win either, going down 3-4 in the away fixture and drawing 3-3 at home the following week. Other clubs he guested for were: Bradford City, for one game in each of the seasons 1939-40, 1940-41 and 1942-43: Clapton Orient for one game in 1945-46, Coventry City one game in 1945-46, Darlington, one game in 1939-40 and Sheffield Wednesday for one game in 1944-45. He rejoined the First Division Terriers after the end of the war but did not play a League game before joining Third Division North Mansfield Town in June 1946. He scored once in thirty League appearances for the Stags and also played one F.A. Cup tie before leaving Field Mill for First Division Arsenal in March 1947 for £2,500. Arsenal had had trouble filling the boots of Cliff Bastin at Outside Left after his retirement and Calverley became one of a line of aspirants to that position. He went straight into the first team and made his debut for the Gunners on 15th March 1947 in a 4-1 victory over Preston North End at Highbury and played eleven games before he played his final game in a 2-1 home win over Everton on 31st May 1947. Calverley, a great-hearted trier, and his opponents on his Arsenal debut noted his liveliness and were so impressed that they persuaded Arsenal to transfer him in the close season. So he was off to Deepdale in July 1947 for £1,500. He made his Preston debut at Anfield against Liverpool 23rd August 1947 in a 1-3 defeat and played thirteen League games without scoring before moving to Second Division Doncaster Rovers in November 1947 for a then club record of £4,000. He made his Rover's debut on 29th November 1947 in front of a crowd of 16,710 at Belle Vue as Doncaster beat Plymouth Argyle 2-0. He was always Rover’s regular Outside Left but could do little as they were relegated to the Third Division North at the end of his first season of 1947-48. Rovers finished third in the following season and then he was very influential in scoring three goals in thirty-nine League games as Doncaster won promotion back to the Second Division as Champions of the Third Division North at the end of the 1949-50 season. He continued to feature regularly in their first season back in the Second Division but after that he ran into injury problems and had to call it a day in December 1952. He played one hundred and forty-two League games and scored eleven goals, in addition to netting three goals in ten F.A. Cup ties while at Belle Vue. He died in Sheffield in October 1991.