Adrian Capes

Adrian Capes

Capes in Port Vale colours.
Personal information
Full name	Adrian Capes
Date of birth	(1873-04-18)18 April 1873
Place of birth	Burton upon Trent, England
Date of death	29 September 1955(1955-09-29) (aged 82)
Place of death	Smallthorne, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1894–1896	Burton Wanderers	54	(32)
1896–1898	Nottingham Forest	30	(7)
1898–1900	Burton Swifts	14	(7)
1900–1905	Burslem Port Vale	164	(60)
1905–1907	Stoke	17	(2)
1908–1911	Port Vale	33	(15)
Total		312	(123)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Adrian Capes (18 April 1873 – 29 September 1955), was an English footballer. A forward, he scored a total of 135 goals in 340 league and FA Cup games in a 17-year career with Nottingham Forest, Burton Wanderers, Burton Swifts, Burslem Port Vale, and Stoke. He also played cricket for Staffordshire in the 1900 Minor Counties Cricket Championship. After retiring in 1911, he worked behind the scenes at Port Vale from 1911 to 1934. His brother, Arthur, was also a professional footballer.

Capes was born in Burton upon Trent and began his career at Second Division club Burton Wanderers, along with his brother Arthur. He and his brother formed a formidable partnership in two seasons with Burton, scoring 66 goals between them. Their efforts helped to bring the club to within four points of champions Liverpool in 1895–96.

This brought the attention of bigger clubs and they both signed for First Division side Nottingham Forest in August 1896. Only Arthur made any impact at the club, whilst Adrian fell out of the first team picture. He scored seven goals in 29 top-flight games in 1896–97, before returning to his hometown the next season with Burton Swifts, back in the Second Division. He made little impact for the Swifts, and featured just once in the 1898–99 season.