1. Fergus Suter was a Scottish stonemason and footballer in the early days of the game.
14 Facts About Fergus Suter
1. 2.
Arguably the first recognised professional footballer, Suter was a native of Glasgow and played for Partick before moving to England to play for Darwen and Blackburn Rovers.
3.
One source states that Fergus Suter left Partick for Rangers in 1877, then coming to England in 1878 and signed for Turton.
4.
Fergus Suter's career was all but over by the time the Football League formed in 1888.
5.
Fergus Suter made only one appearance for Blackburn Rovers in that competition, on 22 December 1888 against West Bromwich Albion as a replacement for the goalkeeper Herbie Arthur.
6.
Fergus Suter appeared in four FA Cup finals and after Blackburn were runners-up to Old Etonians in 1882, he collected three winner's medals in 1884,1885, and 1886.
7.
Fergus Suter was born in Glasgow on 21 November 1857, the son of David Fergus Suter and his wife Catherine.
8.
Fergus Suter married Martha Almond in Blackburn on 22 November 1883.
9.
Fergus Suter died of cancer at Branksome, 8 Seafield Road, Blackpool on 31 July 1916.
10.
Fergus Suter was survived by his wife, a son Fergus Alexander and a daughter Jessie who later married a Frank Cumberbirch.
11.
In later life Fergus Suter ran the Millstone Hotel in Darwen.
12.
Fergus Suter is one of the main characters in the Netflix mini-series The English Game, played by Kevin Guthrie.
13.
Blackburn Olympic did defeat the Etonians to become the first working-class team to lift the cup, but this was not the club which Fergus Suter joined and the win did not come until 1883, three years after Fergus Suter left Darwen.
14.
Fergus Suter later joined Olympic's local rivals Blackburn Rovers in 1880 and was in the team which lost in the 1882 Cup Final against the Old Etonians.