Harold Halse

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Harold Halse

| image = HaroldHalse.jpg

| fullname = Harold James Halse

| birth_date = {{birth date|1886|1|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Stratford, London, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1949|3|25|1886|1|1|df=y}}

| death_place = Colchester, Essex, England

| height = 1.73 m{{Cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Harold Halse (Player) |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/44118/Harold_Halse.html |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=www.national-football-teams.com |language=en}}

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Wanstead

| youthclubs2 = Newportians

| youthclubs3 = Barking Town

| years1 = 1905–1906

| years2 = 1906–1907

| years3 = 1908–1912

| years4 = 1912–1913

| years5 = 1913–1921

| years6 = 1921–1923

| clubs1 = Clapton Orient

| clubs2 = Southend United

| clubs3 = Manchester United

| clubs4 = Aston Villa

| clubs5 = Chelsea

| clubs6 = Charlton Athletic

| caps1 = 2

| caps2 = 65

| caps3 = 109

| caps4 = 31

| caps5 = 96

| caps6 = 21

| goals1 = 1

| goals2 = 91

| goals3 = 41

| goals4 = 21

| goals5 = 23

| goals6 = 5

| totalcaps = 324 | totalgoals = 182

| nationalyears1 = 1909

| nationalteam1 = England

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 2

}}

Harold James Halse (1 January 1886 – 25 March 1949){{cite web |title=England players: Harold Halse |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersH/BioHalseHJ.html |website=englandfootballonline |access-date=25 September 2018}} was an English football forward, who played most of his career for Manchester United and then for Chelsea. He was the first player to appear in three FA Cup finals for three clubs. He is also the highest scoring player in a Charity Shield match, having scored six goals in the 1911 edition for Manchester United.

Career

He was born in Stratford, London and started his football career as an amateur with Wanstead, Newportians, Barking Town and Clapton Orient, where he made two appearances with one goal in the Football League.Complete Record of Leyton Orient - 1888-2006, by Neilson N. Kaufman

On 21 July 1906 he signed for Southend United ahead of their first professional season in the Second Division of the Southern League,{{cite web |title=Southend United F.C.: Increase in nominal capital: Prospectus (August 1906) |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00089767/filing-history/NTk1Mjk5ODNhZGlxemtjeA/document?format=pdf&download=0 |website=Companies House |access-date=30 August 2023}} scoring 91 goals in 65 appearances in just under two seasons. He transferred to Manchester United in March 1908 for the maximum transfer fee allowed at that time, £350. He scored 56 goals in 125 appearances for United, who won the First Division title in 1908 and 1911, and the FA Cup in 1909. In the 1911 FA Charity Shield against Swindon Town, Halse scored six goals for United in an 8–4 win for his team.

He moved to Aston Villa for £1200 in 1912. He won the 1913 FA Cup with Villa and also scored all five goals when Aston Villa beat Derby County 5–1, but signed for Chelsea shortly afterwards. While at Chelsea Halse once again reached an FA Cup final, in 1915, although this time he finished on the losing side. He remained with Chelsea until 1921, scoring 25 goals in 111 games,{{cite book | author=Glanvill, Rick | title=Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years| publisher=Headline Book Publishing Ltd| year=2006| isbn=0-7553-1466-2 | page=403}} and had a spell at Charlton Athletic before retiring in 1923.

Halse was the first player to appear in three FA Cup finals for three clubs.{{Cite web| url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2003/05/48711.htm| title=FA Cup Trivia| access-date=28 January 2008| publisher=The FA| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://archive.today/20040106155319/http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2003/05/48711.htm| archive-date=6 January 2004| df=dmy-all}}{{cite book|last=Unknown|title=Cup Final Programme|year=1915}}

Halse was capped once for England, in an 8–1 win over Austria on 1 June 1909. He scored twice in this game.{{Englandstats|ref=y|access-date=25 September 2018}}

He died on 25 March 1949, aged 63, and was buried at Walton-on-the-Naze Cemetery.{{cite news |last1=Dwan |first1=James |title=Bid to repair grave of 1920s Chelsea and Manchester Utd star |url=https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/19291590.bid-repair-grave-1920s-chelsea-manchester-utd-star/ |access-date=31 August 2023 |work=Clacton Gazette |date=10 May 2021}}