Name: Henry Christopher Leddy
Born: 1888*, Dublin
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 12.00 st
Position: Half-Back
Representative Honours: Irish League: 1 Cap (1913); Ireland War-Team (1918).
Club Honours: (with Distillery) Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1918/19.
Club Career:
|
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
FL Cup
|
Other
|
|
Belfast
Celtic
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Distillery
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Glenavon
|
10/11-11/12
|
-10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Shelbourne
|
12/13/13/14
|
-12
|
-
|
32/ 2
|
10/0
|
18/0
|
3/0
|
|
Clyde
|
14/15
|
May-14
|
-
|
2/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Shelbourne
|
15/16-16/17
|
-15
|
-
|
9/ 1
|
2/0
|
-
|
4/1
|
|
Belfast
United
|
17/18
|
-17
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Distillery
|
18/19
|
-18
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Glenavon
|
19/20
|
-19
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Tranmere
Rovers
|
20/21
|
Sep-20
|
-
|
31/ 5
|
(Central League)
|
||
|
Everton
|
21/22
|
May-21
|
£500
|
0/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Chesterfield
|
21/22-22/23
|
Mar-22
|
£1,000
|
45/ 7
|
4/0
|
-
|
-
|
|
Grimsby
Town
|
23/24
|
May-24
|
-
|
13/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Shamrock
Rovers
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Frankfort
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
TOTALS
|
-
|
£1,500
|
132/15
|
16/0
|
18/0
|
7/1
|
|
Biography:
A big centre-half, Harold Leddy had a lengthy spell in Irish football before trying his hand at the game across the Irish Sea. It was at the end of 1913/14, a season in which he played left-half the Irish League and aided Shelbourne to the Irish Cup semi-final (where they lost to Glentoran after four games), that Leddy moved to Scottish First Division side, Clyde.
..
After just two appearances for Clyde, Leddy returned to Shelbourne, and played out the Great War with spells at Belfast United, Distillery and Glenavon. In March 1919 he played at right-back in both matches of Distillery's Co. Antrim Shield win over Belfast Celtic.
..
Leddy moved to Tranmere Rovers, then playing in the Cheshire County League and the Central League. His performances attracted the attentions of Tranmere's Merseyside neighbours, Everton. Despite the £500 fee he never made the Toffee's first eleven and after less than a year he was on the move to Division Three (North) Chesterfield for around £1,000.
..
A natural leader and an imposing presence in the centre of defence, Leddy helped lift the Spirites away from the foot of the League and the dreaded "re-election spots". He was proving good value for the £9-per-week that Chesterfield were paying him, but the Football League were about to throw a spanner in the works in the form of an £8-per-week maximum wage. Would the club honour their contract with a player or the League's rules?
..
Leddy agreed to a reduced wage but took Chesterfield to court in order to recoup £99 in lost wages. The case developed into a battle between the Players' Union (now the Professional Footballers' Association) and the Football League and was eventually settled in the High Court in the Union and Leddy's favour. Through all the courtroom shenanigans Leddy maintained a high-level of performance and was Chesterfield's regualar penalty-taker as they finished the 1922/23 season in fourth.
..
In May 1923 Leddy transferred to Grimsby Town. Although he captained the Mariners he was unable to settle on the east-coast and flitted in-and-out of the side, often at wing-half. He left Blundell Park in May 1925, returning to his native-Dublin to play for Shamrock Rovers in the Irish Free State League.
..
..
Irish League Representative Details:
05-11-1913 Scottish League H L 1-2
..
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.
..
* Some sources list birth date as 1895 but no births matching this date has been found.
** Shelbourne details kindly supplied by Jim Murphy as follows...
1912/13 18/0 IL, 3/0 IC, 10/0 BCC, 2/0 LSC
1913/14 14/2 IL, 7/0 IC, 8/0 BCC, 1/0 LSC
1915/16 9/1 LSL, 2/0 IC, 4/1 LSC.
IL-Irish League, IC-Irish Cup, BCC-Belfast City Cup, LSC-Leinster Senior Cup, LSL-Leinster Senior League.
Picture from Roy Cathcart.
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