I. FERGIE SUTER
— J. A. Brierley | 12/12/1902 —

Auld lichts! Away down the avenues of football history we descry the lights of other days. Perchance the ever-thickkening mist of distance makes the vision dim. Then come with me, and let us see with the eyes of those who looked upon these lights in the heyday of their brilliance, nay, with the eyes of those who themselves belonged to the shining constellations of the past. Would you share the vision with a star which once shone in the Blackburn and Darwen Armaments, then come to a cosy fireside at Darwen and make the acquaintance of Fergie Suter — those of you at least who do not know him. Those who have already had the pleasure will need no invitation.

Looking at the famous old player as he sat on the opposite side of the hearth, I could not help but notice that he seemed far from well, and he remarked in answer to my first inquiry that he had been below par for some weeks, but was improving. None the less, he was certainly not very strong while the mere effort of recalling incidents of the past and describing them told on him perceptibly in a short time. It did so, however, and consequently I bade him "Good afternoon!" long before I should otherwise have done so. Every reader will join in wishing him complete restoration. By way of introduction it may be pointed out that Suter, who was born in Glasgow in '57, and is therefore 45 years of age, came into English football in October, 1878 — 24 years ago. Those were the days when veiled professionalism was just appearing on the horizon. Suter visited Darwen on the last day of 1877, to play on New Year's Day for Partick against the Peaceful Valley team. From that time until the following October we do not hear much about him, but in the month mentioned he again appeared in England, following James Love to Darwen.

He came in the guise of a stonemason, but he only worked at his trade a week or two. After that he merely played football, and though this was years before professionalism was legalised, he never lacked money. 

— On what plan were you paid in those days?

I ventured to ask. 

Suter: Well, we had no settled wage, but it was understood that we interviewed the treasurer as occasion arose. Possibly we should go three weeks without anything, and then ask for £10. We never had any difficulty.

At the commencement of 1880-81 Suter threw in his lot with the Rovers, and between Darwen and Blackburn he spent his football career on this side the Border, though occasionally he assisted North End, Mr. Sudell once giving him as much as a £10 note for an afternoon's service in a match against Notts County. He was a wee bit nervous about allowing this little transaction to see the light of publicity, but there is no good reason why it shouldn't.

— Your departure from Darwen to join the Rovers caused some little feeling, didn't it?"

"Yes," was the reply; and then he told of that famous scene on the Alexandra Meadows at Blackburn when Darwen and the Rovers met at the beginning of the "eighties." It was Suter's first season with the latter. Excitement ran high; tempers broke their bounds; Suter and Marshall, the latter of Darwen, came to blows; the crowd surged on to the ground, and the game was at a premature end. This was just about the beginning of the era of big gates, and at the time the match was stopped £284 had been taken. He would plead guilty to feeling a bit timid in the midst of the excited thousands. Some time after that the Rovers and Darwen had to meet on the Leamington-road ground — in a Cup tie, if he remembered rightly — and to prevent a repetition of disorder steps were taken to secure specially strong officials. Major Marindin, says Suter, came down to referee, while he believes the linesmen were C. W. Alcock, the present Surrey cricket secretary, and N. L. Jackson, the founder of the Corinthians, a trio who were considered well qualified to control even the enthusiastic spirits of a Lancashire football crowd, which were far more excitable then than they are to-day.

Still speaking of the English Cup, let me say that Fergie Suter shared with brilliant Jimmy Brown, H. Arthur, J. H. Forrest, J. Douglas, Hugh McIntyre, and J. Sowerbutts the distinction of winning Cup medals in '84, 85, and '86, and that his face glowed with delight as he recalled the great finals of those years, telling me how Queen's Park were beaten in the final in the first two years, and West Bromwich Albion in the third. 

Suter: The Queen's, as they played against us at the Oval in 1884, were the finest side we ever met in those days — before the rise of North End. It was a terrific struggle. Arraved against us were such men as Watty Arnott and Charles Campbell, both of whom played for Scotland against England on ten occasions; then there was George Gillespie in goal, and the big centre-forward, Dr. Smith; while I well remember that Anderson and Fraser were on the right wing. It was a day! Hugh McIntyre played a great game for us, and so did my partner, Joe Beverley, while Jimmy Brown fairly staggered the crowd when he brought off a brilliant dribble which placed the Queen's one down. Forrest added the second goal with a long shot, and though our opponents scored once we had the pick of Scotland beaten and were Cupholders for the first time. The year following we again came across the Queen's in the final, and defeated them, while still a year later we again figured in the last stage. This time our fellow finalists were the Albion, and I can tell you they had a pretty hot team, blessed with a lot of the grit which is still associated with the team. There was Bob Roberts, over 6ft., in goal, and they had about as fine a trio of halves as one could wish, while James Bayliss was a splendid fellow. After a tie at the Oval we had to meet on the racecourse at Derby, and won 2-0. In that match Jimmy Brown, a prince of dribblers, made the most magnificent run I have ever seen. We were being pressed pretty strongly by the Albion forwards when the ball happened to get outside the crowd around goal. Jimmy, ever on the alert, pounced on it, and darting away, ran right along the field, beating three or four opponents in beautiful style, and only finishing by landing the ball into the net. It was not a mere sprint, as you see sometimes, but a run in which he was meeting opposition at point after point. Magnificent! You never see the like nowadays.

Next week I hope to continue the talk with the famous old player, introducing many interesting reminiscences and opinions.