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Ernest 'Nudger' Needham (1873-1936) proudly displays 'three lions on his shirt' as he poses in his England strip

ERNEST NEEDHAM, who gained the nickname 'Nudger' for his niggling persistence and close marking on the football field, was one of the select group of men born in Derbyshire to play association football for England. A left-half - small but immensely strong, and renowned for his never-ending energy - he was one of the greatest footballers of the pre-1914 age, and in addition an accomplished county cricketer.

Ernest Needham was born at Newbold Moor, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on 21 January 1873. He was one of a number of footballers from North Derbyshire in the late-Victorian age who were 'missed' by Derby County. Needham could and should have been signed by the Rams, but instead he went to Sheffield United, where he is still considered the club's most succesful player

The first side he attached himself to was Waverley FC. He followed them by Staveley Wanderers in 1889 and Staveley Town in 1890-91, the latter considered one of the most celebrated non-League clubs of the age. He was courted by Sheffield United, signed for them, and played for them from 1892 to 1910.

In all competitions he made 554 appearances for the Blades and scored 65 goals. He captained them from 1895 to 1905, leading them to the 1898 Football League Championship and to FA Cup Final wins in 1899 and 1902. The first of those Cup triumphs was at the expense of Derby County, when Needham kept his close friend and England colleague Steve Bloomer firmly in check. Countless performances of similar calibre earned Needham the deserved sobriquet the 'Prince of Half-Backs'.

He made 16 appearances for England between 1894 and 1902, and was captain once, in the 6-0 hammering of Wales at St. James' Park, Newcastle, on 18 March 1901. Needham was the first Sheffield United player to captain England.

Besides his football achievements he was a fine cricketer, and at least in this respect he was not lost to the county of his birth. From 1901 to 1912 he played 186 first-class matches for Derbyshire. Batting left-handed, he averaged 20.15 runs per innings. Bowling right-hand medium pace, he delivered 126 balls without bagging a single wicket. His more accustomed fielding role was wicket keeper.

Ernest Needham is one of the most celebrated sportsmen to emerge from Derbyshire. He died in Chesterfield on 8 March 1936 at the age of 63 years 47 days.

His nephew George Wright Needham, born in Staveley on 28 April 1894, did play football for Derby County. Unfortunately he failed to attain the same heights as his uncle Ernie. George played for the Rams only 5 times, in 1919, after serving with the Sherwood Foresters in World War One. After leaving Derby County he gave admirable service to Gillingham in their first season in the Football League. George died in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on 30 March 1967.

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County:  Derbyshire

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