A century ago today Ted Harper of Blackburn Rovers scores against Burnley as he moves to become the first player to top 40 goals in a season
One century ago today Ted Harper scored the sixth goal for Blackburn Rovers as they thrashed neighbours Burnley 6-3 at Ewood Park. Harper was on his way to becoming the first player to score over 40 league goals in a single season and finished with 43, 26 at home and 17 away out of a total of 91 Rovers goals. It is a record that no Blackburn player has ever come anywhere near emulating. He was chased to the end by Sunderland’s David Halliday who would later equal his total in 1928-29. Despite Harper’s heroics his side only finished in twelfth place. Born in Sheerness, Kent on 22 August 1901, Ted Harper arrived at Ewood Park in 1923 from Sheppey United on the strength of his goalscoring record in the Kent League. Critics said he looked clumsy and had no ball control, but as a goalscorer there were few better. He was quickly off the mark with eighteen goals in his first season. In February 1925, Rovers signed Syd Puddefoot from Falkirk for £4,000. Despite being aged thirty,...