How Scottish fans prevented the move south of some of their finest players including Celtic's Jack Madden in 1891....

In the search for new players, football clubs today rightly like to keep things as secret as possible until they can make an official announcement... that was just so when football began but for different reasons..........

Ⓒ Mark Metcalf 

Arthur Dickinson, the Sheffield Wednesday club secretary, later recalled in 1899 his search to sign new players in Scotland in the Lancashire Evening News:

“In 1891 I went up to Ferguson of Arthrlie, and Richardson of Hurlford. Here it was that I had my first experience, for at Barrhead, where an agent and I had gone for Ferguson, we were tackled by a mob. They knew for what purpose we were there and set upon us with the heartiest goodwill.

Their sense of appreciation of our presence was forcibly expressed by means of showers of stones. It was no time for argument, so we cut and ran, the mob after us. I never moved more rapidly in my life. Luckily we had provided for some such contingency by having a conveyance drive by as if his mother-in-law were after him. He had a good pair of horses and took them along at a better pace than they had ever done in their lives. Our gentle friends in the rear pursued us for a while, but could not stay the pace. So we escaped in such a to-do. And we had got our players secured, which was everything. This was in February, and next month I was off again, gathering in Gibson R Gemmell and R McConachie. These, however, were secured with comparatively little trouble. In August of the  same year we landed Gavin Thompson of the Third Lanark.

“In September of 1891, however, I had a rare adventure. I went up to get Towie, who afterwards came to North End, and left them to play for Derby County. He was playing then with Geordie Dewar’s old team – Dumbarton. In the same club was a full back named Spiers, whom I also wanted. John Wilson’s agent met me and at Partick we picked up Jack Madden, of the Celtic. Wilson and I got   off at Bowling and Jack went straight on to Dumbarton to bring up the two players. We arrived at the appointed rendezvous – Sinclair’s Restaurant, a noted football house, and one that every Scotch player is acquainted with – and presently in came Madden, accompanied by Towie and Spiers. We had to use a great deal of persuasive eloquence to effect our purpose and at last seemed to have succeeded.

Towie took up a pen to sign the professional form for us, and it was all but done when – the door opened and in stalked the secretary of the Dumbarton club, the trainer and two or three gentlemen with opinions and muscle. We were fairly and squarely trapped.

“Wilson bolted and got clear beautifully. Jack and I were left to face the music and without any preliminaries we prepared to depart. We scrimmaged our way down the stairs and there found a crowd – hundreds of them – waiting for us. The entry of the club officials, and our reception by multitude were partly of the same plan. The crowd yelled like savages and made for us. Now Madden hadn’t any interest in me, except that he had seen me landed in a hole. And that was good enough excuse for him, so he stuck to me like a brick. We got our backs against the wall and, by Jove, Jack did fight!

“He was real pluck. Sheer weight of numbers separated us and then it was a case of making a bee line for the station. I don’t know how he got along, for the crowd followed, letting go at me at every possible chance. Several times they tried to trip me up and had I gone down it might have proved awkward. As it was I was thoroughly mauled. At last I struggled into the station and rushed into a train standing there. Luckily it was just about to start for Glasgow – my destination. In the same train the agent was seated, spick and span and comfortable without a scratch.

“I was bleeding from my mouth and nose, and felt just about used up. When my face ‘developed’ I had two blackened eyes and was generally cut and bruised. With such a face as I had, I dare not appear in public, and for two days after stayed in my hotel in Glasgow. Then I had to send for a chemist to paint away the discolouration around my eyes before I dared venture forth as a respectable man.

I never heard how Madden fared after we parted in the crowd, for I did not see him again for another year.”