A. H. Savage


A. H. Savage was an English amateur footballer. He made one appearance for England as a goalkeeper, and also played for the original Crystal Palace club. His identity is not definitively known; most football researchers now identify him as Arthur Henry Patrick Savage, but there are other contenders.

Identity

Football historians have always had difficulty identifying the precise name and details of A.H. Savage who played for the original Crystal Palace club and played for England against Scotland in the fifth international between the countries in March 1876.
The three main contenders are:
Even though no contemporary match reports refer to the player as A.H.P. Savage, most researchers now favour the latter.

Football career

Little is known about his club career, although he was a Crystal Palace player at the time of the international, and he later played representative football for Surrey. Match reports described him as "big and red-bearded" and commented on his "terrific kick that was well used to set up attacks". Unfortunately, "defensively was prone to being in the wrong place at the wrong time", thus contributing to England's defeat.
His sole international appearance came against Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Partick on 4 March 1876. According to Philip Gibbons, at this time "the England side tended to be chosen on availability rather than skill alone." England struggled throughout the game, which saw the home team run out winners by three goals to nil.

Photograph

In May 2008, a photograph of the 1876 England team was discovered in the archives of the Derby City Council Local Studies Library. Edgar Field had sent the photograph to the Derbyshire Football Express, and the picture was used in an article published on the 50th anniversary of the match. This picture came to light in May and is believed to be the earliest known picture of an England football team.