# List of Nelson F.C. players

Nelson F.C. is an English semi-professional association football club based in the town of Nelson, Lancashire. The club was founded in 1881 and initially played in the Lancashire Combination. In 1921, Nelson became a professional outfit when they were one of the teams selected to play in the inaugural season of the newly formed Football League Third Division North. The team played in the Football League for the following 10 years, enjoying a season in the Second Division in 1923–24. Nelson were relegated from the Football League in 1931, failing re-election after finishing bottom of the league. Defender Clement Rigg amassed the most league appearances for Nelson during this period with 254. The highest goalscorer was Joe Eddleston who netted on 97 occasions for the club before transferring to Swindon Town in 1926.
This list includes all the players who made at least one league appearance for Nelson during this professional period. Appearances and goals are counted together for players who had more than one spell with the club during this time.

## Players

| Name | Nationality | Position | Nelson career | Appearances | Goals |
| Harry Abbott | England | GK | 1922–1927 | 154 | 0 |
| Frank Allen | England | FW | 1930 | 14 | 0 |
| Harold Andrews | England | FW | 1921–1922 | 8 | 1 |
| Frank Bailey | England | DF | 1925–1927 | 4 | 0 |
| Richard Baird | England | MF | 1921–1922 | 2 | 0 |
| Jim Baker | England | DF | 1926–1927 | 28 | 6 |
| Len Baker | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 7 | 0 |
| Joseph Baldwin | England | FW | 1929–1930 | 1 | 0 |
| Arthur Bate | England | MF | 1930–1931 | 24 | 6 |
| Lewis Bedford | England | MF | 1927–1928 | 32 | 7 |
| William Bennett | England | FW | 1922–1923 | 1 | 0 |
| John Bennie | Scotland | FW | 1921–1922 | 12 | 6 |
| Joseph Birds | England | GK | 1922–1924 | 40 | 0 |
| John Black | Scotland | DF | 1922–1923 | 29 | 5 |
| William Bossons | England | GK | 1927–1928 | 4 | 0 |
| Lewis Botto | England | GK | 1929–1930 | 1 | 0 |
| Allan Bottrill | England | MF | 1924–1925 | 1 | 0 |
| Billy Bottrill | England | FW | 1924–1928 | 121 | 35 |
| Ernie Braidwood | England | DF | 1922–1926 | 128 | 10 |
| Jimmy Broadhead | England | DF | 1922–1926 1927–1928 | 67 | 1 |
| Fred Broadhurst | England | DF | 1925–1927 | 61 | 0 |
| Jack Brooks | England | DF | 1929 | 6 | 0 |
| Alfred Brown | England | DF | 1927–1928 | 2 | 0 |
| John Brown | Scotland | MF | 1926–1927 | 2 | 0 |
| Robert Bruce | Scotland | GK | 1921–1922 | 7 | 0 |
| Jim Buchanan | Scotland | FW | 1928–1930 | 66 | 15 |
| Herbert Butterworth | England | DF | 1924–1926 | 9 | 0 |
| James Caine | England | DF | 1929–1931 | 5 | 0 |
| Eddie Cameron | Scotland | FW | 1924–1925 1929 | 46 | 10 |
| Tom Carmedy | England | FW | 1928–1931 | 66 | 20 |
| Billy Caulfield | England | FW | 1923–1924 | 18 | 5 |
| Edgar Chadwick | England | FW | 1923–1926 | 36 | 19 |
| Walter Chadwick | England | DF | 1925–1926 | 2 | 0 |
| Ralph Chapman | England | MF | 1929–1931 | 10 | 0 |
| Harry Clayton | England | DF | 1925–1926 | 4 | 0 |
| Harry Clegg | England | GK | 1921–1922 | 5 | 0 |
| David Cochrane | Scotland | FW | 1927–1928 | 2 | 2 |
| Leigh Collins | England | DF | 1923–1924 | 13 | 0 |
| Harry Counsell | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 3 | 0 |
| Jimmy Cowen | England | FW | 1925–1926 | 3 | 4 |
| Dick Crawshaw | England | FW | 1922–1924 | 32 | 10 |
| James Dargan | England | FW | 1927–1928 | 2 | 0 |
| Arthur Dawson | England | MF | 1930–1931 | 10 | 0 |
| Wilf Denwood | England | MF | 1925–1926 | 3 | 0 |
| Charlie Dixon | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 16 | 1 |
| Ernie Dixon | England | FW | 1929–1930 | 28 | 10 |
| John Dodsworth | England | DF | 1928–1929 | 2 | 0 |
| Billy Donkin | England | DF | 1928–1929 | 8 | 0 |
| Edwin Earle | England | MF | 1925–1927 | 54 | 15 |
| Eddie Eastwood | England | DF | 1921–1923 | 3 | 0 |
| Joe Eddleston | England | FW | 1921–1926 | 183 | 97 |
| Bill Ellerington | England | DF | 1924–1925 | 26 | 2 |
| Billy Fairhurst | England | DF | 1929–1931 | 76 | 0 |
| Des Fawcett | England | GK | 1928–1929 | 23 | 0 |
| Robert Ferguson | England | FW | 1929–1930 | 1 | 0 |
| Ted Ferguson | England | DF | 1928–1930 | 67 | 0 |
| Fred Ferrari | England | FW | 1929–1930 | 7 | 3 |
| Jack Fletcher | England | MF | 1927–1929 | 11 | 1 |
| Thomas Garnett | England | MF | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Bob Gartside | England | FW | 1929–1930 | 1 | 0 |
| Richard Gaskell | England | FW | 1927–1928 | 3 | 0 |
| Felix Gillan | England | DF | 1928–1929 | 11 | 0 |
| Ernest Gillibrand | England | MF | 1924–1925 | 2 | 0 |
| Billy Halligan | Ireland | FW | 1921–1922 | 17 | 6 |
| Joe Halliwell | England | FW | 1927–1929 | 74 | 9 |
| Jimmy Hampson | England | FW | 1925–1927 | 64 | 42 |
| Harry Hargreaves | England | FW | 1921 | 13 | 2 |
| Billy Harker | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 18 | 5 |
| Billy Harper | England | DF | 1924–1925 | 6 | 0 |
| Ambrose Harris | England | DF | 1924–1928 | 58 | 1 |
| Ray Hartley | England | DF | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Arthur Hawes | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 26 | 3 |
| George Hayes | Wales | FW | 1927–1928 | 9 | 5 |
| Foster Hedley | England | MF | 1929–1930 | 26 | 5 |
| Arthur Hepworth | England | MF | 1927–1929 | 16 | 0 |
| Harry Heyes | England | GK | 1921–1922 | 26 | 0 |
| Harry Higginbotham | Scotland | FW | 1924 | 4 | 0 |
| Charlie Hillam | England | GK | 1930–1931 | 3 | 0 |
| Sid Hoad | England | MF | 1922–1927 | 152 | 13 |
| Alec Hooper | England | DF | 1928–1929 | 9 | 0 |
| Harry Hooper | England | DF | 1928–1930 | 21 | 0 |
| Archie Howarth | England | MF | 1930–1931 | 8 | 2 |
| George Howes | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 35 | 0 |
| Charles Howson | England | DF | 1922–1923 | 1 | 0 |
| Duggie Humphrey | England | MF | 1924 | 8 | 0 |
| Bob Hutchinson | England | MF | 1922–1924 | 60 | 1 |
| Thomas Jacques | England | DF | 1921–1922 | 17 | 1 |
| John Jewell | England | MF | 1930–1931 | 3 | 0 |
| Arthur Jones | England | DF | 1927–1928 | 1 | 0 |
| Jack Jones | England | DF | 1927–1928 | 12 | 0 |
| John Keers | England | MF | 1926–1927 | 8 | 3 |
| Gerry Kelly | England | MF | 1928–1929 | 47 | 15 |
| Sam Kennedy | England | FW | 1923–1924 | 6 | 0 |
| William Lammus | England | DF | 1923–1924 | 8 | 0 |
| Fred Laycock | England | FW | 1924–1925 | 23 | 12 |
| Bob Lilley | England | DF | 1921–1925 | 66 | 0 |
| Tom Lilley | England | DF | 1923–1924 | 14 | 0 |
| Fred Mace | England | GK | 1925–1927 | 8 | 0 |
| James Mangham | England | GK | 1927–1930 | 2 | 0 |
| Edward Manock | England | FW | 1929–1931 | 18 | 2 |
| Cecil Marsh | England | FW | 1921–1922 | 17 | 2 |
| Jack Martin | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 27 | 1 |
| David McClure | Scotland | DF | 1927–1928 | 28 | 1 |
| Mike McCulloch | Scotland | FW | 1922–1924 | 49 | 8 |
| Patrick McDonagh | Scotland | FW | 1928–1929 | 5 | 0 |
| William McGreevy | England | FW | 1921–1922 | 3 | 1 |
| John McGuire | England | FW | 1927–1928 | 20 | 2 |
| Jimmy McKinnell | Scotland | DF | 1929–1930 | 10 | 0 |
| George McLaughlan | Scotland | FW | 1929–1930 | 29 | 2 |
| Harry Mellor | England | FW | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Jim Metcalfe | England | DF | 1928–1930 | 71 | 1 |
| Ronald Mitchell | England | DF | 1926–1927 | 32 | 0 |
| Walter Moore | England | DF | 1924–1925 | 5 | 0 |
| William Morton | England | FW | 1928–1929 | 8 | 3 |
| Jack Newnes | Wales | DF | 1923–1926 | 113 | 7 |
| Robert Nuttall | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 4 | 0 |
| Harry Nutter | England | GK | 1923–1924 | 2 | 0 |
| Joseph O'Beirne | England | FW | 1924–1925 | 16 | 2 |
| Frank Parry | England | MF | 1929–1930 | 24 | 2 |
| James Pearson | England | DF | 1925–1928 | 38 | 0 |
| James Phizacklea | England | DF | 1924–1925 | 19 | 0 |
| Tom Pickering | England | FW | 1926–1927 | 1 | 0 |
| James Price | Scotland | DF | 1921–1923 | 24 | 0 |
| Wilfred Proctor | England | MF | 1921–1922 | 14 | 1 |
| Bernard Radford | England | FW | 1927–1929 | 55 | 41 |
| Leslie Raisbeck | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 29 | 11 |
| Gilbert Richmond | England | DF | 1929–1931 | 21 | 0 |
| Dennis Ridge | England | DF | 1927–1928 | 8 | 0 |
| Harry Ridley | England | MF | 1928–1929 | 31 | 7 |
| Clement Rigg | England | DF | 1921–1929 | 254 | 4 |
| Percy Roberts | Wales | FW | 1926–1927 | 1 | 0 |
| Ernie Robinson | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 27 | 0 |
| Henry Robinson | England | MF | 1930–1931 | 20 | 3 |
| Teddy Roseboom | Scotland | FW | 1923–1924 | 12 | 1 |
| Bill Ruffell | England | FW | 1927–1928 | 12 | 3 |
| Charles Sandbach | England | DF | 1930–1931 | 2 | 0 |
| Buchanan Sharp | Scotland | FW | 1926–1929 | 80 | 35 |
| Peter Shevlin | Scotland | GK | 1929–1931 | 53 | 0 |
| Edwin Simpson | England | DF | 1926–1928 | 17 | 0 |
| Bill Slack | England | DF | 1927–1928 | 10 | 3 |
| Fred Smith | England | FW | 1924–1926 | 2 | 0 |
| Steve Spargo | England | DF | 1929–1930 | 21 | 0 |
| George Spence | England | MF | 1927–1928 | 13 | 2 |
| John Steel | Scotland | DF | 1921–1923 | 50 | 0 |
| John Stevenson | Scotland | FW | 1924–1927 | 73 | 26 |
| John Stoneham | England | GK | 1927–1928 | 6 | 0 |
| David Suttie | Scotland | DF | 1928–1931 | 104 | 2 |
| Harold Taylor | England | MF | 1926–1928 | 17 | 4 |
| Tommy Tebb | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 14 | 2 |
| Jim Thomson | Scotland | GK | 1924 | 2 | 0 |
| Harry Tordoff | England | DF | 1928–1930 | 9 | 0 |
| Albert Turner | England | DF | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Stan Walker | England | FW | 1930–1931 | 2 | 0 |
| William Waller | England | FW | 1921–1922 | 25 | 7 |
| John Walmsley | England | DF | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Ted Ward | England | FW | 1923–1924 | 2 | 0 |
| Sam Warhurst | England | GK | 1927–1931 | 76 | 0 |
| John Weedall | England | MF | 1929–1930 | 7 | 3 |
| Henry White | England | FW | 1927–1928 | 22 | 15 |
| Bob Wilde | England | DF | 1921–1922 | 36 | 0 |
| Tom Wilkinson | England | FW | 1928–1929 | 17 | 5 |
| David Wilson | Scotland | DF | 1921–1924 | 95 | 3 |
| George Wilson | England | DF | 1925–1930 | 160 | 16 |
| Billy Wilson | England | MF | 1921–1922 | 1 | 0 |
| Arthur Wolstenholme | England | FW | 1922–1925 | 68 | 17 |
| James Wootton | England | MF | 1921–1922 | 14 | 1 |