Oldacre Percy Image 1 Sheffield United 1921

Description

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire born centre forward Percy Oldacre began his football career with Hanley Providence and played for Etruria Village in 1914, and first joined his hometown club Stoke when they were still in the Birmingham & District League in 1914, but the First World War then interrupted his career and after the War he joined Southern League club Exeter City in the summer of 1919, for whom he made a goalscoring debut in a 2-1 home win over Swansea City in September 1919.

Oldacre missed only handful of Southern League matches for Exeter after that, scoring 8 goals in 33 appearances, but after just one season at St James’ Park left to return north signing for Midland League club Castleford Town in 1920. He was then signed by First Division club Sheffield United in April 1921 making his Football League debut at Liverpool that September. He scored 4 times in 5 matches for The Blades that season as understudy to Harry Johnson, and scored once more in his only appearance of 1922-23 in a 2-2 draw against Bolton in January 1923, but he was not retained due to an abundance of striking talent at Bramall Lane and left to join Halifax Town that August.

A single goal in 8 appearances was a disappointing return but he joined Crewe Alexandra in October 1924 and was the club’s second top scorer in the 1924-25 season with a dozen goals in 27 appearances. He briefly joined non league club Mid-Rhondda United in 1925 and later that year moved to Shrewsbury Town, but he returned to Football League action when signed by Second Division club Port Vale for £150 in August 1926, playing once at Swansea Town in December 1926, before a move to Cheshire County League club Hurst (now Ashton United) the following year, scoring 5 goals in 4 matches. He later played for Middlewich in 1927 and Frenton Villa in 1928 before his retirement.