Fred Else facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fredrick Else | ||
| Date of birth | 31 March 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Golborne, England | ||
| Date of death | 20 July 2015 (aged 82) | ||
| Place of death | Barrow-in-Furness, England | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1951 | Axwell Park Colliery Welfare | ||
| 1951–1953 | Preston North End | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1953–1961 | Preston North End | 238 | (0) |
| 1961–1966 | Blackburn Rovers | 221 | (0) |
| 1966–1970 | Barrow | 148 | (0) |
| Total | 607 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1957 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1970 | Barrow | ||
|
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Fredrick Else (born March 31, 1933 – died July 20, 2015) was an English footballer. He was a talented goalkeeper. Fred played in over 600 professional matches during his career. He played for three main clubs: Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, and Barrow.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Fred Else was born in Golborne, near Wigan, on March 31, 1933. While doing his national service, he played for an amateur team called Axwell Park Colliery Welfare. His skills caught the eye of bigger teams.
Preston North End Years
In 1951, Fred joined Preston North End as a junior player. By 1953, he became a professional footballer. He played his first game for Preston in 1954 against Manchester City. At first, he didn't play much, only 14 games in three seasons. But soon, he became the main goalkeeper. He played 238 games for Preston. One of Preston's best seasons was in 1957–58. They finished second in Division One, which was the top league at the time.
Moving to Blackburn Rovers
After the 1960–61 season, Preston was moved down to a lower league. Fred Else was then sold to Blackburn Rovers for £20,000. He quickly became Blackburn's main goalkeeper. He played 221 games for them. In 1964–65, he hurt his collarbone and couldn't play for a while. But he came back strong and got his spot as goalkeeper back. However, Blackburn was also moved down to a lower league the next season. Fred was then released from the team.
Time at Barrow
In the summer of 1966, Fred Else signed with Barrow. They were in the Fourth Division. Fred became a key part of Barrow's most successful team. In his first season, the team won promotion to the Third Division. Fred was Barrow's main goalkeeper for all the years they were in the Third Division. He played 148 league matches for the club. He stopped playing football in 1970 after Barrow was moved down to a lower league again. He also had a leg infection. In his last season, he briefly worked as a caretaker manager for Barrow.
Achievements and Awards
- Football League Division One Runner-up: 1957–1958 (with Preston North End)
- Football League Division Four Promotion: 1966–1967 (with Barrow)
Playing for England
Many fans who watched Fred play believe he was one of the best English goalkeepers who never played for the main England national team. However, he did play one game for the England B team in 1957. This game was against Scotland B. He also went on a tour with a Football Association team in 1961.
Life After Football
Fred Else met his wife, Marjorie, in 1949 on the Isle of Man. They got married on October 29, 1955. This was a Saturday morning. The wedding was in Marjorie's hometown of Blackpool. They chose this day so Fred could still play football later that day. He was selected to play for Preston North End's reserve team.
After he stopped playing football, Fred Else stayed in Barrow-in-Furness. He became a geography and maths teacher at a local secondary school. He stopped teaching in 1999 and moved to Cyprus. Even then, he still went to some Barrow football matches. Fred Else passed away in Barrow-in-Furness on July 20, 2015, at the age of 82.
