| Fred Wallbanks | |
| Fullname: | Frederick Wallbanks |
| Birth Date: | 14 May 1908 |
| Birth Place: | Platt Bridge, England |
| Death Date: | [1] [2] |
| Death Place: | Consett, England |
| Position: | Left back, outside left |
| Clubs2: | Consett |
| Clubs3: | Annfield Plain |
| Years4: | 1928–1930 |
| Caps4: | 0 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 1930–1931 |
| Caps5: | 6 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Years6: | 1931–1932 |
| Years7: | 1932–1934 |
| Caps7: | 15 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Years8: | 1934–1935 |
| Caps8: | 0 |
| Goals8: | 0 |
| Years9: | 1935–1936 |
| Caps9: | 8 |
| Goals9: | 0 |
| Years10: | 1936–1937 |
| Caps10: | 0 |
| Goals10: | 0 |
| Years11: | 1937–1938 |
| Clubs11: | Consett |
Frederick Wallbanks (14 May 1908 – 25 April 1938) was an English footballer who made 29 appearances in the Football League playing for Chesterfield, Bradford City and Nottingham Forest in the 1930s.[3] He played as a forward in the earlier part of his career and was later converted to left back.
He was on the books of Bury but played no first-team football, and played Cup matches for West Ham United and Northampton Town but no League football. He also played non-League football for Crook Town, Scarborough, Bradford City and Consett.
Wallbanks was born in 1908 in Platt Bridge, Lancashire,[3] a son of Joseph Henry Wallbanks, a collier, and his wife Mary Alice née Glazebrook. By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved to Chopwell, County Durham.[4] [5] Four of Wallbanks' brothers, Jack, Jimmy, Horace and Harry, also played League football,[6] as did Bill Harvey, who was raised with the Wallbanks family.[7]
Wallbanks played as a forward for Crook Town, Consett and Annfield Plain before signing as a professional with Football League First Division club Bury in November 1928.[8] He played for Bury's reserves, not just as a forward but also at left half,[9] and was re-signed for the 1929–30 season.[10] He played in "practically all" Bury's Central League matches, but was unable to break through to the first team, and moved on to Chesterfield in June 1930.[11] With Jack Leescorer of five goals from the first four matches[12] injured, Wallbanks came into the team for a spectacular Football League debut on 13 September: a goal down after five minutes at home to Rotherham United, he scored twice in the next eleven minutes to maintain his side's unbeaten record.[13] Wallbanks kept his place for two more matches, and played in just three more matches in the rest of the season. He scored once more, in a 1–1 draw away to Lincoln City, who finished the season one point below Chesterfield at the top of the Third Division North.[14]
Having spent much of his season playing in the Midland League for Chesterfield's reserves, Wallbanks joined a Midland League club, Scarborough, for 1931–32. For the first time, he was a regular in the first eleven, and finished as the team's top scorer with 34 goals.[15] He was leading scorer in the Midland League for much of the season, but was out with injury towards the end and was overtaken by Lindon Medley of Bradford City Reserves.[16] At the end of the season, Wallbanks and his brother Jimmy were two of many footballers refused unemployment benefit after football was classified as a seasonal occupation; claimants normally employed in seasonal work were ineligible for benefit unless they had also worked during their off-season.[17]
His performances earned him a return to the Football League with Bradford City.[18] He rarely appeared for his first two seasons with the Second Division side, where he was converted to play at left back.[14] [19] In "an effort to strengthen the defence", Wallbanks came into the side at left back in place of Robert Hamilton for the third match of the 1934–35 season.[20] Bradford City won, and he retained the position for a couple of months,[14] until Charlie McDermott was preferred. Wallbanks signed for another Second Division club, West Ham United, in December 1934.[21] but played only once, standing in at right half as West Ham were eliminated from the 1934–35 FA Cup by Stockport County,[22] before moving on to Nottingham Forest at the end of the season.[19] Although he had a run of six matches early in the season, he played only twice for the first team thereafter,[14] and was transfer-listed at the end of the season.[23] He spent the 1936–37 season with Northampton Town of the Third Division South, but appeared only once, in the Third Division South Cup.[24] [14]
Wallbanks returned to the north-east, where Blyth Spartans wanted to sign him and his brother Jack, but both signed instead for Consett, newly readmitted to the North-Eastern League, because the club was able to provide both with jobs.[25] The following April, Wallbanks died in an accident at the foundry where he worked.[26] [27]