Fans’ fury left Black Country referee bleeding and insensible
He helped found one of the Football League’s original twelve clubs, won the FA Cup and played for England, but still made football headlines after his playing days were over ...
JACK Brodie helped found Wolverhampton Wanderers and once skippered England, but he was also a key figure in an unwanted piece of football history – the first closure of a ground because of fan trouble.
After ending his playing career in 1891 at the age of 29, teacher Jack became a referee and it was after an Arsenal game against Burton Wanderers that he was set upon by angry fans. He had awarded the visitors a late penalty which led to an equaliser.
A large mob from a crowd of 7,000 attacked him when he blew the final whistle after Woolwich Arsenal – as they were then known – and Wanderers drew their Second Division clash 1-1 in January 1895. Scottish inside-right James Henderson had given Arsenal a first-half lead but Wanderers levelled after the spot kick awarded in the last minute.
The law then allowed a penalty to be given if a foul happened within the space marked by a line across the pitch 12 yards from the goal line. As was then allowed, the Arsenal keeper, Harry Storer, ran from his line as the kick was taken and parried it but a Wanderers player eventually put the ball home.
The assault on Jack came when a large number of spectators invaded the pitch at the Manor Ground, Plumstead, which in those days was the Gunners’ home. The fans had given Jack some stick during the game as they felt he had not been strict enough with a tough-tackling Burton side.
Stunned
Let the Westminster Gazette take up the story: “Mr J Brodie, who was acting as referee, is an old international, and a past master in football science. He gave the visitors a penalty kick. The mob then attacked Mr Brodie and one man, with a blow over the eye, half stunned him. Some of the players tried to arrest the fellow but the crowd prevented them and Mr Brodie was bleeding and almost insensible when taken to the dressing room.”
The Evening Standard slammed the crowd’s actions: “Mr Brodie’s eye was cut open and he was so severely handled by the unruly mob that at six
o’clock at night he was still insensible in a dressing room. A certain section of the spectators behaved themselves like thorough ruffians and it is to be hoped that the council of the Football Association will take stern measures to prevent a repetition of the occurrence.”
Burton players came under fire, too, and needed a police escort to Plumstead railway station afterwards as a large number of irate fans were still outside the ground.
An Athletic News reporter at the game reckoned Jack had allowed three minutes over the 90 but, even if correct, that was no excuse for what followed his final whistle.
Police
The reporter writing under the name ‘Grasshopper’ added: “I heard of the schemozzle and came back (to the ground) but was unable to gain admission or gain any particulars beyond one of the doorkeepers telling me that the ringleaders were well-known and that, though the few police present had failed to arrest them, they would doubtlessly find themselves in ‘chokey’ in the course of the next 24 hours.”
Alas, no one ever did appear in court despite Arsenal offering a £5 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Jack stayed overnight with the Arsenal doctor and left for home the next day sporting considerable bruising around his eye.
The FA did indeed take action and the Manor Ground was closed for six weeks, with the club instructed to play matches at least six miles away from it. That meant two home league games had to be played at alternative venues – Priestfield Stadium, New Brompton and Lyttelton cricket ground, Leyton. Arsenal also had to switch some friendly games which were then a considerable feature of their season, only their second as a Football League club.
The FA consultation committee’s meeting was attended by a deputation from Arsenal and a letter from the club was read, claiming reports of the incident were “much exaggerated and every effort had been made to secure the apprehension of the offender.” The club chairman also expressed his regret and said every effort had been made to keep order.
At first there was a suggestion the meeting should be adjourned pending police inquiries but a proposal was made that the ground be closed for the rest of the season. Luckily, for the Gunners, the motion was lost.
Fence
As well as being the first time a ground had been closed because of crowd trouble, it also prompted the Football League to order that clubs should enclose their playing area with a rail or fence to help control the crowd.
Jack decided he could not referee the FA Cup game between Newcastle and Burnley a week after the Arsenal incident. He was instead at his home in Brewood and said he was rather bruised about the right eye but expected to be all right in a month. He was headteacher at a Brewood National School, in the village near Wolverhampton.
The Cannock Chase Courier reported: “He is terribly shaken and since the Arsenal ‘fiasco’, is hardly himself, not so merry as is his wont.” The paper added: “Brewood people would like to get hold of the aggressor or aggressors from the town of Woolwich for about five minutes.”
Jack, who also served as a Wolves director for some years, died in February, 1925 at the age of 62.
Arsenal first played at the Manor Ground in 1890 then switched to the Invicta Ground before returning to the Manor in 1893, staying there until the move from Plumstead to Highbury in 1913.
John Brant Brodie had helped found Wolves in 1877, had enjoyed a fine career with the club, playing in the 1889 FA Cup final. He won three England caps, skippering the team, in his first international, against Ireland at Anfield. Often playing as a centre-forward he came in for some tough treatment by opposition defenders but could never have dreamt that his most serious football injury would be after his playing days were over.