# Alex Leake

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**Alexander Leake** (11 July 1871 – 29 March 1938) was an English professional [footballer](/source/Association_football) who won five [caps](/source/Cap_(sport)) for his country and made 407 appearances in [the Football League](/source/The_Football_League) playing as a [half back](/source/Formation_(association_football)#2–3–5) for [Small Heath](/source/Birmingham_City_F.C.), [Aston Villa](/source/Aston_Villa_F.C.) and [Burnley](/source/Burnley_F.C.). After retiring from playing he took up coaching, both with professional clubs and at school level. He was a cousin of fellow Small Heath and [England](/source/England_national_football_team) [forward](/source/Forward_(association_football)) [Jimmy Windridge](/source/Jimmy_Windridge).

## Biography

Leake was born in [Small Heath, Birmingham](/source/Small_Heath,_Birmingham). After leaving school he trained as a [blacksmith](/source/Blacksmith) with Hoskins & Sewell, manufacturers of metal bedsteads, in the [Bordesley](/source/Bordesley,_West_Midlands) district of Birmingham, and played for the works football team. He later helped [Old Hill Wanderers](/source/Old_Hill_Wanderers_F.C.) win the championship of the [Birmingham & District League](/source/West_Midlands_(Regional)_League) in the [1893–94 season](/source/1893%E2%80%9394_in_English_football). His success with Old Hill did not go unnoticed, and he signed for [Small Heath](/source/Birmingham_City_F.C.), newly promoted to the [Football League First Division](/source/Football_League_First_Division), in July 1894.

Leake made his Small Heath debut in October 1895 at [left half](/source/Left_half), but from midway through that season (in which the club were [relegated](/source/Promotion_and_relegation)) for the following four years he rarely missed a game at centre-half. He was soon appointed [captain](/source/Captain_(association_football)). When he did suffer an injury early in the [1899–1900 season](/source/1899%E2%80%931900_Small_Heath_F.C._season), [inside forward](/source/Inside_forward) [Walter Wigmore](/source/Walter_Wigmore) was tried at centre-half, and by the time Leake regained fitness, his position was taken. He played the remainder of his Small Heath career at left-half or occasionally inside-left. He helped the club gain promotion back to the First Division in 1901, but left at the end of the [1901–02 season](/source/1901%E2%80%9302_Small_Heath_F.C._season) when they were relegated again. During this season he played in an [England](/source/England_national_football_team) trial match and with clubmate [Sid Wharton](/source/Sid_Wharton) played for an England XI in an unofficial international against [Germany](/source/Germany_national_football_team). In a 1901 profile of the Small Heath club and players in the *[Daily Express](/source/Daily_Express)*, [C.B. Fry](/source/C.B._Fry) wrote:[1]

Leake is one of the best half-backs of the day; he is a character, and very popular. Fast, with exceptional stamina, he is on the go all the game through; yet never tires. He has been a faithful friend to his club, which owes—and knows it owes—him much. He captains his team with ability and a tact that may almost be called inspiration, He makes—he does not wait for—success. And what he gets he deserves.

He joined [Aston Villa](/source/Aston_Villa_F.C.) [in July 1902](/source/1902-03_avfc), when he was 31, and stayed five years. In his first season the club were runners-up in the First Division, and in 1905 he played in their [1905 FA Cup final](/source/1905_FA_Cup_final) team which beat [Newcastle United](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C.) 2–0. While with Aston Villa Leake won five official caps for England, making his international debut at the age of 32 on 12 March 1904 in a 3–1 win against [Ireland](/source/Ireland_national_football_team_(1882%E2%80%931950)) in [Belfast](/source/Belfast).

Leake found himself unwittingly at the centre of one of the great scandals of English football. In the last League game of the [1904–05](/source/1904%E2%80%9305_avfc) season, [Manchester City](/source/Manchester_City_F.C.) needed to beat Aston Villa to win the title. It was a spiteful game, and he had been involved in confrontations, both physical and verbal, with opponents. Afterwards Leake, who had captained the side, claimed that City's [Billy Meredith](/source/Billy_Meredith) had offered him a bribe of £10 for his team to [throw the match](/source/Match_fixing). Meredith was found guilty by [the Football Association](/source/The_Football_Association), fined, and suspended from all football for 18 months. Because his club refused to help him financially, Meredith made public [the illegal payments Manchester City were making to their players](/source/English_football_bribery_scandal). An FA investigation resulted in life bans for directors, long suspensions for players, and the club being forced to sell its playing staff.[2]

An Aston Villa match programme of 1906 describes him as:[3]

A good-tempered, honest worker; safe rather than showy. Hard to beat in a tackle, and good at spoiling an opponent's pass. Alert, keeps his head, and never tires in the hardest matches. His unfailing good humor has made him a general favourite.

[Burnley](/source/Burnley_F.C.) manager [Spen Whittaker](/source/Spen_Whittaker) took him to the club in December 1907, by which time he was 36 years old. He stayed with them a further two and a half years, playing a significant part in building a team for the future. His arrival has been described thus:[4]

By this time Leake was 36 years old, but he still possessed the panache of a class player. His authority on the pitch led to his appointment as team captain, and the faithful on the terraces at Turf Moor purred their appreciation, taking an instant shine to their new centre-half. One should not underestimate the psychological benefits of having a man there who had been at the top of his profession, a natural leader who could counsel and advise the youngsters from a position of experience.

When Burnley were promoted to the First Division in 1913, Leake was long gone, but he played his part. At the celebration dinner, the club chairman commented that:[5]

We replaced the old with the new, and did this all the time with a profit to the club. The purchase of Alex Leake started the financial success of Burnley Football Club. When we played Rawtenstall and Fishwick Rovers in 1883, the gates were a few pounds only. This season we have joined at gates of £3,003 against Blackburn and £2,256 against Sunderland.

In 1910 he returned to [the Midlands](/source/The_Midlands) and played for one season with [Wednesbury Old Athletic](/source/Wednesbury_Old_Athletic), newly elected to the Birmingham & District League. He then took up posts as trainer with [Crystal Palace](/source/Crystal_Palace_F.C.), [Merthyr Town](/source/Merthyr_Town_F.C.), and [Walsall](/source/Walsall_F.C.), and also coached at school level.

Leake died in his native Birmingham at the age of 66.

## Honours

**Old Hill Wanderers**

- [Birmingham & District League](/source/West_Midlands_(Regional)_League) champions [1894](/source/1893%E2%80%9394_in_English_football)

**Small Heath**

- [Second Division](/source/Football_League_Second_Division) promotion [1900–01](/source/1900%E2%80%9301_Football_League)

**Aston Villa**

- [First Division](/source/Football_League_First_Division) runners up [1902–03](/source/1902%E2%80%9303_Football_League)
- [FA Cup](/source/FA_Cup) winners [1905](/source/1905_FA_Cup_final)

**Wednesbury Old Athletic**

- Wednesbury Charity Cup joint winners 1911

## References

**General**

- Matthews, Tony (1995). *Birmingham City: A Complete Record*. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- For league statistics and clubs played for: Joyce, Michael (2004). *Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939*. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- For clubs' league positions: ["Football Club History Database"](https://www.fchd.info/). Richard Rundle.
- For Wednesbury Old Athletic information: Carr, Steve (2010). *The Old Uns Revisited – Wednesbury Old Athletic 1893 to 1924*. Spellbound. ISBN 978-0-9565030-1-5.

**Specific**

1. Fry, C.B. (26 October 1901). "Football Gossip. The Small Heath Club and its members. How they play". *Daily Express*. p. 8.

1. ["Football and Trade Unionism"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031331/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FtuPFA.htm). *The Encyclopedia of British Football*. Spartacus Educational. Archived from [the original](http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FtuPFA.htm) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.

1. *The Villa News and Record* (1 September 1906), quoted at ["Leake, Alexander"](http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/782.html). *Aston Villa Players Database*. Jörn Mårtensson. Retrieved 29 July 2011.

1. Whalley, Phil (November 2000). ["Quietly Making History: John Haworth and Burnley Football Club Part One: 1903–1911"](http://www.park-road.u-net.com/qmh1.htm). *Nothing to Write Home About*. London Clarets. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20081122092852/http://www.park-road.u-net.com/qmh1.htm) 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Whalley, Phil (January 2001). ["Quietly Making History: John Haworth and Burnley Football Club Part Two: 1911–1915"](http://www.park-road.u-net.com/qmh2.htm). *Nothing to Write Home About*. London Clarets. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20081122094632/http://www.park-road.u-net.com/qmh2.htm) 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine.

## External links

- [Profile](http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/782.html) at Aston Villa Player Database.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alex Leake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Leake) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Leake?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.