On 20th April,1890, Francis (Frank) Hudspeth was born in Percy Main, North Tyneside.
He played left-back for the Toon
for nineteen seasons, from 1910 to 1929. This makes him the joint longest servant ever for the club along with Billy McCracken.
During his time at the club he was a popular figure amongst the fans and gained the nickname 'Old Surefoot' for his reliability.
He captained the team from 1923 to 1926 but was demoted to vice-captain following Hughie Gallacher's arrival at the club.
Hudspeth was also known for his ability to score penalties and twenty-five of his thirty-seven goals at Newcastle came from the penalty spot.
He is second only to Jimmy Lawrence for making the highest number of appearances for Newcastle, with 472 games. He also represented England at international level.”
23rd March 1895. The British Ladies' Football Club played at St James Park, Newcastle, today in 1895. only a month after its formation.
Over 8,000 people saw the North beat the South 4-3.
Other games took place in South Shields and Darlington before playing at Jesmond. This time only 400 people turned up to watch and local newspapers reported that the novelty of watching women players appeared to be wearing off.
Nettie Honeyball's group returned home to London and the first attempt to popularize women's football had come to an end.
The Jarrow Express a few weeks earlier, reporting their first official game at Crouch End, London, had said
"The members of the British Ladies' Football Club have played their first match in public. We hope (severely, says The Standard) it will be their last. There will always be curiosity to see women do unwomanly things, and it is not surprising that the match was attended by a crowd numbering several thousands, very few of whom would like to have their own sisters or daughters exhibiting themselves on the football field. Some of these young persons appeared to possess only an elementary knowledge of the game and its laws, and, for the present at all events, the club is quite unlikely to attract spectators for the sake of the play. How long it will continue to attract them for reasons unconnected with sport is another matter, but it is significant that a considerable proportion of those present left the field at half-time. The laughter was easy, and the amusement was rather coarse; but these are waning delights, and we shall be surprised if a second display wins even so equivocal a success as the first.
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