| Vincent Edward Weston | |
| Birth Date: | October 1855 |
| Birth Place: | Kingston-upon-Thames, England |
| Death Place: | Shanklin, Isle of Wight |
| Occupation: | Footballer, stock dealer |
Vincent Weston (October 1855 – 12 December 1937) was an English footballer and rower from the late 19th century who won the FA Cup in 1880 as a half-back for Clapham Rovers.
Weston was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, London,[1] in October 1855, the fifth son of John Weston (1817–1887) and his wife Augusta Ellen née Wood (1817–1891). His father was a merchant and financial agent.
Vincent and his four brothers, including fellow footballer Percy, were members of the London Rowing Club;[2] being small in stature, they made perfect coxes, and "Little" Vincent was competing internationally before he was a teenager.[3] His greatest honour as a cox was steering a London RC foursome to victory in the Stewards' Challenge Cup at Henley four times between 1868 and 1872.[4]
Weston's first appearance on the football field was for Barnes - a football club associated with a rowing club - alongside two of his brothers in October 1871, against Westminster School.[5] The following month he played for Barnes against the Civil Service in the first round of the first FA Cup.[6]
He played 11 more times for Barnes in the FA Cup from 1872–73 to 1878–79, usually as a half-back,[7] including in Barnes' surprise draw with Wanderers in 1877–78, being "especially notable for his accurate kicking".[8]
For the 1879–80 FA Cup he switched allegiance to Clapham Rovers, and his first match in the competition for his new club was a 7–0 win over Romford, Weston being picked out for his conspicuous play.[9] He played in every round, and in the final (against Oxford University) Weston - who "played admirably" - made a key defensive clearance when the match was still scoreless.[10]
He continued to play for Rovers in the following year's competition, becoming something of a dead-ball specialist, tasked with corners and free-kicks.[11] His final game in the competition came in a defeat to the Old Etonians in a first-round replay in 1881–82.[12] His last recorded football appearance was captaining the Stock Exchange side against Lloyd's of London in their annual match in 1882; his former Clapham Rovers team-mate Robert Ogilvie captained the opposition.[13]
Although he never picked up an International cap, he did represent the Football Association several times in representative matches in 1879–80.[14] [15]
Weston became a stock dealer, in partnership with his nephew Spencer Weston.[16] He married Edith Fanny Clara Colnaghi, who pre-deceased him, in early 1911.[17]
Weston died in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight in December 1937, leaving assets of £422 2/- to Alan Tremlett, another Stock Exchange member.[18]
Clapham Rovers