Archie Mitchell (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Archibald Philip Mitchell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 December 1882 | ||
| Place of birth | Smethwick, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 April 1949 (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada[2] | ||
| Playing position | Centre-half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Oldbury St John's | |||
| 1905–1907 | Aston Villa | 0 | (0) |
| 1907–1921 | Queens Park Rangers | 35 | (3) |
| 1921–1922 | Brentford | 13 | (2) |
| Total | 48 | (5) | |
| National team | |||
| England Juniors | |||
| Southern League XI | 7 | ||
| 1921 | Football League XI | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1921–1924 | Brentford | ||
| Dartford | |||
| 1931–1933 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals) | |||
Archibald Philip Mitchell was an English football centre-half and manager. He is best remembered for his long spell as a player with Queens Park Rangers, for whom he made over 300 appearances.[3]
Playing career
Early years and Aston Villa
A centre half, Mitchell began his playing career with Oldbury St John's, before transferring to Football League Division One side Aston Villa in 1905.[2] He failed to make a first team appearance for the club, appearing instead for the reserve team.[2] With the reserves, he helped the team win the Birmingham & District League title in the 1905/06 and 1906/07 seasons. Mitchell departed Villa in 1907.
Queens Park Rangers
In 1907, Mitchell signed for Southern League Division One side Queens Park Rangers. He had a good start to his career with the Hoops, winning the 1907/08 Southern League Division One title in his debut season. The victory set up a match with Football League Division One champions Manchester United for the 1908 FA Charity Shield, which QPR lost after a replay. A further Southern League Division One title was won in 1911/12, with the Charity Shield being lost 2–1 to Football League Division One champions Blackburn Rovers. He remained with Queens Park Rangers through to 1921, finally making his Football League debut at the age of 34 in the 1920/21 season, after the club were elected to the Football League Division Three. He made 35 appearances and scored three goals during the 1920/21 season.[4] By the time he left the Hoops at the end of the campaign, Mitchell had made over 300 appearances for the club, including unofficial wartime competitions.[3]
Brentford
Mitchell joined West London rivals Brentford as player in August 1921.[3] Plying his trade in the Division Three South, Mitchell played as a goalkeeper in the final away league game of the 1921/22 season away to Swansea Town.[5] The 1–0 defeat was the final appearance of his career.[5] He made 16 appearances and scored two goal for the Bees.[5]
Management career
Brentford
When Mitchell joined Football League Division Three South side Brentford in the summer of 1921, he became the club's player-manager.[3] He presided over three forgettable campaigns, his best finish being 9th in the 1921/22 season. After a run of seven straight defeats, Mitchell left the club in December 1924.[5]
Queens Park Rangers
After coaching in the Balkans and a two-year stint as manager of Southern League side Dartford,[5] Mitchell returned to former side Queens Park Rangers as manager in November 1931, replacing John Bowman, who had to step down due to ill-health.[6] He led the club to a mid-table finish in what remained of the 1931/32 Division Three South season and resigned at the end of the 1932/33 season.
International and representative career
Mitchell made one appearance for England Juniors and made seven appearances for the Southern League representative team while with Queens Park Rangers.[2][5] He made an appearance for the Football League XI in a 4-1 win over the Army on 10 November 1921.[3]
Personal life
After leaving Brentford and before departing for the Balkans, Mitchell worked in Acton as a schoolteacher.[5]
Honours
As a player
- Birmingham & District League (2): 1905/06, 1906/07
External links
References
- ↑ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 206. ISBN 190589161X.
- 1 2 3 4 "Aston Villa Player Database". Aston Villa Player Database. 16 April 1949. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 74. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
- ↑ "Doing The 92 ~ Archie Mitchell". Doingthe92.com. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. ISBN 0955294916.
- ↑ "A Potted History". QPR. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
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