| Albert Groves | |
| Fullname: | Albert Groves |
| Birth Date: | January 1886 |
| Birth Place: | Newport, Wales |
| Position: | Centre-half |
| Years1: | 1908–1909 |
| Clubs1: | Aberdare Athletic |
| Years2: | 1909–1920 |
| Clubs2: | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Caps2: | 200 |
| Goals2: | 18 |
| Years3: | 1920–1924 |
| Clubs3: | Walsall |
| Caps3: | 79 |
| Goals3: | 15 |
| Clubs4: | Willenhall |
| Totalcaps: | 279 |
| Totalgoals: | 33 |
| Manageryears1: | 1920–1921 |
| Managerclubs1: | Walsall (player-manager) |
Albert Groves (January 1886 – 1960) was a Welsh footballer and manager. A centre-half, he played for Aberdare Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall, and Willenhall. He served Walsall as player-manager in the 1920–21 season.
Born at Newport in January 1886, Groves began his career as a forward, playing for Aberdare Athletic.[1] [2] He signed with Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1909.[3] He made his Second Division debut at Molineux on the last day of the 1909–10 season, in a 3–2 win over Manchester City.[3] Wanderers went on to finish ninth in 1910–11 and fifth in 1911–12, before Groves scored 10 league goals to help the club to a tenth-place finish in 1912–13.[3] Over time, he was converted into a centre half and the club went on to finish ninth in 1913–14 and fourth in 1914–15, before World War I temporarily put a halt to the Football League.[3] During the war he guested for Port Vale in October 1916, scoring three goals in 23 games before moving on to Bury and Sunbeam Motor Works (Coventry).[4] Groves also guested for Stoke in 1915–16.[5] After returning to "Wolves" after the war, he helped the club to a 19th-place finish in 1919–20.[3] He was then appointed player-manager at Birmingham League club Walsall, before he was replaced by Joe Burchell.[3] He remained on at Fellows Park as player-secretary, and scored eight goals in 36 games in 1921–22, as the club became founder members of the Third Division North.[3] He continued to turn out for the "Saddlers" in 1922–23 and 1923–24, racking up 79 League, 12 FA Cup and 33 other senior appearances, scoring 15 goals.[3] A serious knee injury led Groves to end his playing days at Willenhall and after retiring from football he ran the Hope and Anchor public house in Willenhall.[3]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1909–10 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1910–11 | Second Division | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
| 1911–12 | Second Division | 37 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 1 | ||
| 1912–13 | Second Division | 37 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 10 | ||
| 1913–14 | Second Division | 31 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 4 | ||
| 1914–15[6] | Second Division | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 1919–20 | Second Division | 25 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 4 | ||
| Total | 200 | 18 | 17 | 2 | 217 | 20 | |||
| Walsall | 1921–22 | Third Division North | 36 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 42 | 9 | |
| 1922–23 | Third Division North | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 | ||
| 1923–24 | Third Division North | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 4 | ||
| Total | 79 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 89 | 16 | |||
| Career total | 279 | 33 | 27 | 3 | 306 | 36 | |||
Aberdare Athletic