Ernie Blenkinsop
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ernest Blenkinsop | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Cudworth, Barnsley, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 1969 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Sheffield, England | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1917–1919 | Brierley Colliery | ||
| 1919–1921 | Cudworth United Methodists | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1921–1923 | Hull City | ||
| 1923–1934 | Sheffield Wednesday | 393 | (5) |
| 1934–1937 | Liverpool | 71 | (0) |
| 1937–1939 | Cardiff City | 10 | (0) |
| 1939 | Buxton | ||
| National team | |||
| 1928–1933 | England | 26 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Ernie Blenkinsop (20 April 1902 – 24 April 1969) was an English footballer who played as a defender at left back. He spent the majority of his career at Sheffield Wednesday, where he won two Football League titles. He also attained 26 caps playing for England.
Blenkinsop was born in Cudworth, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. He followed his father down the coal mine, working at nearby Brierley Colliery, and playing local football for Cudworth Village Club FC alongside his brother. In 1921 he was signed by Hull City, and the transfer fee was reported to be £100 and a barrel of beer for his teammates. After two seasons and only 11 first-team appearances for Hull City, he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday boss Bob Brown whilst playing in a reserve fixture as a forward. Brown liked what he saw and promptly took him from East to South Yorkshire in 1922.
Brown played Blenkinsop at number 3, which proved to be a shrewd move as his umcompromising defensive quailities plus his adept control and pinpoint passing ensured that he would become a Wednesday legend and one of the best left-backs to ever don the blue and white striped shirt.
Blenkinsop became a major force behind the rise of the Hillsborough club from languishing at the foot of the 2nd Division to being promoted as champions at the end of the 1925–26 season (42 appearances), they then followed this up by becoming back-to-back champions of England in 1928–29 and 1929–30 (41 and 45 appearances respectively).
Blenkinsop caught the eye of the Football Association selectors who choose him to play for England in a friendly match in France on 17 May 1928, at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, Paris, it turned out to be a debut to remember as the English taught the French a lesson in football, beating them by a resounding 5–1 scoreline.
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