By any stretch of the imagination, Syd Russell was never more than a modest and unspectacular lower league footballer. Whatever his limitations, he was nevertheless a versatile and reliable defender, redoubtable and resolute and reputed to have a kick like a mule. In the 1930’s, he was considered one of the better full-backs in the lowest of the divisions. Playing initially for Queen’s Park Rangers and then Northampton Town, he spent the whole of his professional career anchored in the Third Division South. Nevertheless, he achieved something that most boys can only dream of … he was a professional footballer.
Syd Russell was born in Feltham, Middlesex and arrived along with a chill wind on New Year’s Day 1911. As an amateur, he began his football career with Tunbridge Wells Rangers before moving on to the professional game in 1931 with Queen’s Park Rangers. He made his Football League debut around eighteen months later at Watford in February 1933. Initially a fringe player at Loftus Road, it was more than a year before he became a regular in the first team, establishing himself shortly after the start of the 1934/35 season. Syd played around half of their matches that season by which time he had clocked up 45 appearances all told for the Hoops. However, in February 1936 Syd Puddefoot acquired his services, in order to bolster the Cobblers’ defence. Then as now, the club were reluctant to state the fee but the press reported that a substantial amount was involved.
At Northampton, a similar pattern emerged and although he was quickly thrown into action, firstly at right back and then at left back, it was an inauspicious start. His debut was a 0-0 draw at home to Swindon, followed by a 4-0 away defeat during the Coventry derby. Russell immediately found himself out of favour and managed just one further first team appearance during the remainder of that season.
At the start of 1936/37, Russell again found himself out in the cold but as September came to a close he was reinstated and from that point on he made the right back position his own and missed just three games that campaign. A near permanent first team presence followed during 1937/38, except that he was switched to the left back berth on all but two occasions. Syd Russell was now well settled in and had become a tough-tackling and indispensible back, putting in a series of sterling defensive performances. He rarely joined in the attack – it simply wasn’t his job and in 117 appearances for the Cobblers, he never found the net once.
As the 1938/39 season neared its end and with the darkest of storm clouds gathering across Europe, a backlog of fixtures resulted in the Cobblers playing three games in just four days! Losing 1-0 at Swindon on the 7th April, a near identical team travelled to Southend the following day, where this time they were beaten 2-0 but in the face of the cruellest of situations.
For Russell, it was the last game of football he would ever play. It was an evenly contested match when Harris, the Southend right-half, burst through and was presented with an open goal. About to shoot, Russell flew in with a last ditch block tackle but his leg was badly broken in the process. From the grass of the Southend Stadium, Russell was rushed to the local hospital but there complications and infection set in and five days later he lost his right leg below the knee.
As a professional footballer and devoted family man, one can only just about grasp the horror of this situation. There is much more to consider than the loss of a beloved profession; move on from the physical impact and there is the psychological shock to consider and they all interact hand in hand. It might have only softened the blow a touch but in the wake of the tragedy the club rallied to Russell’s cause and arranged a benefit match against Everton. A crowd of 7,469 saw the Toffees triumph by 2-1, with a sum of £800 raised, part of which was quickly channelled through to Syd. At the same time an appeal by the Chronicle & Echo eventually collected another £1000. Various benefactors as well as local and national sporting bodies also helped to swell the contributions with charitable fund-raising events. Syd Russell returned to the club in November 1939 for a war-time fixture against West Bromwich Albion and to collect his two cheques. The total sum of £1800 raised equates to almost £122.000 today. In true Corinthian spirit, Syd held his young son aloft, to cheering supporters, whilst precariously balanced on crutches.
It might be tempting to think that in earlier times, where medical procedure and treatment were not as advanced as they are today, that this sort of occurrence was not so rare. In reality, this doesn’t seem to have been the case. With exceptions for war and general accidents, I have so far unearthed just one comparable experience within the English professional game and the consequence of a break during a match.
This time the tragedy fell upon the twenty-three year old, free-scoring striker, Derek Dooley, who in February 1953, was playing for Sheffield Wednesday in a 1st Division match. Although he looked set to recover from a double fracture, a scratch to the back of the leg became infected, possibly from a chemical found in the white touchline markings. Gangrene set in and again he lost a leg.
If other similar tragedies are lost to the mists of time, can any compare to the consequences of a match between Arsenal and Kettering Town, played on 23rd November 1896. Joseph Powell, Arsenal’s right-back, broke an arm in a fall, following a challenge for the ball. So severe was the injury that one of the men who went to his aid fainted at the sight of the protruding bone. Once again infection set in, resulting in an amputation above the elbow. Tragically, things got worse and Powell died just a few days later at the age of just twenty-six.
Despite the cruellest vicissitude of life, a prosthetic limb allowed Syd Russell to assume a near normal civilian life and in the 1960s, he was living in Hounslow and working as a civilian employee of the Army at the Eastern Command Headquarters. It was more than fitting that In January 1966, he was invited back to the town and as a guest of the Chronicle & Echo. A lunch and player reunion was organised, followed by a seat for the 1st Division match, poignantly played against Everton. For Syd, it was his first visit to the County Ground in over 25 years.