Danny Shea (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Harold Shea | ||
| Date of birth | 6 November 1887 | ||
| Place of birth | Wapping, London, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 December 1960 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1907–1913 | West Ham United | 179 | (111) |
| 1913–1920 | Blackburn Rovers | 97 | (61) |
| 1920 | West Ham United | 16 | (1) |
| 1920–1923 | Fulham | 100 | (23) |
| 1923–1924 | Coventry City | 60 | (11) |
| 1924–1925 | Clapton Orient | 33 | (8) |
| Total | 485 | (215) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Danny Shea (6 November 1887 – 25 December 1960) was a footballer who played as an inside-forward.
Born in Wapping, England, Shea played for the Builders Arms pub in Stratford, as well as other local teams Pearl United and Manor Park Albion, when he was discovered by West Ham United boss Charlie Paynter. He joined the Hammers in 1907, making his debut as an amateur against Norwich City in a December Southern League game and – replacing Billy Grassam in the position – was the club's top scorer for five consecutive seasons between 1908 and 1912. During the 1908–09 season, his 20 goals in 49 appearances included all four in a game against Plymouth Argyle, and a hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Swindon Town. His best was yet to come though; in the 1909–10 season, Shea scored 31 goals in 43 appearances. The following season, he managed 28 goals in 39 appearances, including four against Southend United on 31 December 1910. He scored twice in an FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest on 14 January 1911, although he admitted afterwards that he had taken full advantage of the dense fog: "I punched both goals into the net in full view of several opponents".
In 1911–12, Shea managed another two hat-tricks – against Brentford in a 7–4 win on 21 October 1911, and Norwich City in a 4–0 win on 5 April 1912 – to make it 24 goals in 41 appearances that season. He formed a great partnership with Fred Harrison and together they scored 40 goals in the season. As Shea's stock continued to rise, other clubs could not fail to notice the qualities of the skilful ball player and prolific scorer, and he was described by one football writer as having an "uncanny ability to pass to himself". He transferred to Blackburn Rovers halfway through the 1912–13 season for a then-record fee of £2000. Despite this, he still managed to appear as the east London club's top scorer for that season, totalling 15 goals in 15 league and cup games.
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