Kenny Davenport


James Kenyon "Kenny" Davenport was an English international footballer who played as an inside right.

Career

Born in the Deane area of Bolton, Davenport played for Bolton Wanderers, after joining them from local side Gilnow Rangers in 1883. He later played for Southport, and was capped twice by England, in 1885 and 1890. He retired from professional football in 1893, and returned to Bolton Wanderers to coach their reserve team.
Davenport is the scorer of the first ever Football League goal, scoring at 3:47pm on 8 September 1888 against Derby County. Until 2013, it had been thought that the first ever goal had been an own goal by Aston Villa full-back Gershom Cox.

1888-1889

Davenport made his League debut on 8 September 1888, playing as a winger, at Pike's Lane, then home of Bolton Wanderers. The opposition were Derby County and Bolton Wanderers lost 6–3, Kenny Davenport scoring the first and second of Bolton Wanderers three goals. In season 1888–89 Kenny Davenport appeared in all 22 League games played by Bolton Wanderers and scored 11 goals. Kenny Davenport was one of five Bolton Wanderers players, who, in season 1888–89 played in every League game. The other four, apart from Davenport, were, James Brogan, John Milne, Bob Roberts and Davie Weir. In scoring 11 League goals Davenport scored one League hat-trick and he scored two-League-goals-in-a-match twice. Kenny Davenport played centre-half in a defence-line that kept the opposition to one-League-goal-in-a-match once. He also played as a forward in a front-line that scored three-League-goals-or-more in a match on nine occasions.
On 22 November 2016 a plaque was unveiled in Bolton that commemorates Davenport's achievement in scoring the first League goal.