MEN 1873-1895
MEN 1895-2024
WOMEN 2018-2024
 

Ned Bacon

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
04-02-1877
N/A
Date unknown.
Unknown.
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
20-09-1902 v Warrington
Warrington
1904- Retired
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1902-1903
15 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
4
0
0
12

Biography of Ned Bacon



HERITAGE NO : 109
Albert Bacon by Alex Service

Albert Ned Bacon was essentially a professional sprinter, who turned to rugby when times were harder for him to get opponents to run against him. He played as a wing threequarter for the Saints, where his pace could be a real asset to the team. When he made his debut in 1902, Bob Doherty from Cumbria was his centre. The 1901 Census lists Ned as a labourer, who lived in Rigby Street aged 24. In 1921 Ned was living in Havelock Street, St. Helens with his wife, Margaret who hailed from St Helens, two sons and three daughters. He was a Metal Man Contractor with the Sutton Manor Colliery. By 1939 Ned was living in Havelock Street, St Helens. Ned died in St Helens in May 1962 at the age of 85.

Although he played relatively few matches for the Saints, Bob had many stories to tell about his time at Knowsley Road. He could have played many more matches in the reserves.

Ned Bacon highlights of a feature by Keith Macklin originally written in May 1958

Fish could not beat Bacon

Albert Edwin Bacon, known as Ned played with Frank Mooney, Bob Doherty, Frank Lee, Ralph Banks, Cuddy Pennington and the late greats of old St.Helens. Ned Bacon played only three seasons for St.Helens. His reason was a good one. He was one of the finest professional sprinters in Lancashire, and a tenner or two at the end of a flashing 100-yards sprint was much easier to come by, and much more valuable than the half-crown or five bob that was a footballer`s pittance in the primitive days.

As Ned said in his genuine St.Helens dialect: "I was the finest runner in Lancashire, but I couldn`t get a match with anyone so I took up football." Then, when football proved anything but a profitable game, with the risk of injury always present, Ned returned to the running track, where he would race anyone for any sidestake up to £100 over the sprint distances.
In the three seasons in which he played for the Saints Ned recorded his fair share of memories. He played regularly for the First Team as a wing threequarter and remembers stripping at the old Cambridge pub in the days when luxury dressing rooms were unknown.

Ned waxes most eloquent and humorous when he talks about his great duels with Jack Fish, the Warrington winger. Says Ned: Jack Fish was the finest threequarter who ever walked onto a football field. But he never could gerr o`er me! That`s what always ailed `im. I could lerr `im `ave a start and still catch `im. Once he got so nowt tharr `e bosted mi nose and stuck a sod in mi mouth. T`crowd didn`t see that, but when I got me own back t`crowd shouted `he`s a nowty little so-and-so yon man`"

In 1905 Ned Bacon decided that he could earn a better living on the running track than on the football field. Back to the professional sprints went Ned and it is worth recording that even at the age of 39 he was still among the best pros in South Lancashire. For at that age he won the Leigh handicap race against strong opposition covering 67 yards in seven seconds.

Ned Bacon never played for Lancashire or for England, perhaps because he did not wait long enough, but he enjoyed his short spell with Saints, with his three tries against Normanton his golden memory.

PLAYER HONOURS

SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1902~03 0 0 0 5
1903~044 0 0 10
TOTALS:4 0 0 15
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
TOTALS:

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
20th Sep 1902 1
L
 2 Warrington L H 5 18 VIEW
27th Sep 1902 2
W
 2 Brighouse Rangers L A 4 3 VIEW
4th Oct 1902 3
L
 2 Swinton L H 6 10 VIEW
24th Jan 1903 4
L
 2 Brighouse Rangers L H 0 7 VIEW
7th Feb 1903 5
L
 2 Runcorn L A 0 19 VIEW
1st Sep 1903 6
W
 5 Leigh SWLL A 5 2 VIEW
5th Sep 1903 7
W
 5 Dewsbury L H 29 5 VIEW
12th Sep 1903 8
W
 5 Birkenhead Wanderers L A 3 0 VIEW
19th Sep 1903 9
W
 5 Barrow L H 18 6 1 VIEW
26th Sep 1903 10
L
 5 Holbeck L A 3 19 VIEW
3rd Oct 1903 11
W
 5 Normanton L H 27 0 3 VIEW
17th Oct 1903 12
W
 5 York L H 2 0 VIEW
24th Oct 1903 13
D
 5 Morecambe L A 2 2 VIEW
2nd Apr 1904 14
D
 5 Runcorn SWLL A 3 3 VIEW
4th Apr 1904 15
L
 5 Warrington SWLL A 3 19 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 7 | LOSSES : 6 | DRAWS : 2

GALLERY





    Copyright © Saints Heritage Society 1999-2025.