Archie Mitchell (footballer)

Archie Mitchell
Mitchell while Brentford manager in 1924.
Personal information
Full name Archibald Philip Mitchell[1]
Date of birth (1885-12-15)15 December 1885[1]
Place of birth Smethwick, England
Date of death 16 April 1949(1949-04-16) (aged 63)[2]
Place of death Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada[2]
Position(s) Centre half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1905 Oldbury St John's
1905–1907 Aston Villa 0 (0)
1907–1921 Queens Park Rangers 306 (11)
1916 → Brentford (guest) 1 (0)
1921–1922 Brentford 13 (2)
Total 48 (5)
International career
England Juniors 1
Southern League XI 7
1921 Football League XI 1 (0)
Managerial career
1921–1924 Brentford
Dartford
1931–1933 Queens Park Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Archibald Philip Mitchell (15 December 1885 – 16 April 1949) was an English professional footballer and manager. He is best remembered for his long spell as a centre half with Queens Park Rangers, for whom he made over 300 appearances and later managed. Mitchell began his professional career with Aston Villa.

Club career

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Early years and Aston Villa

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A centre half, Mitchell began his playing career with amateur side Oldbury St John's, before transferring to First Division club Aston Villa in 1905.[2] He failed to make a first team appearance for the club, appearing instead for the reserve team.[2] With the reserves, he helped the team win the Birmingham & District League title in the 1905–06 and 1906–07 seasons.[2] Mitchell departed Villa in 1907.[2]

Queens Park Rangers

[edit]

On 2 May 1907, Mitchell joined Southern League First Division club Queens Park Rangers.[3] He had a good start to his career with the Hoops, winning the 1907–08 First Division title in his debut season.[3] A further First Division title was won in 1911–12,[4] with the Charity Shield being lost 2–1 to Football League First Division champions Blackburn Rovers.[5][6] He remained with Queens Park Rangers through to 1921 and finally made his Football League debut at the age of 34 in the 1920–21 season,[7] after the club were elected to the Football League Third Division.[4] He made 35 appearances and scored three goals during the 1920–21 season.[8] By the time he left the Hoops at the end of the campaign, Mitchell had made over 330 appearances for the club, excluding unofficial wartime competitions.[9]

Brentford

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Mitchell joined Third Division South West London rivals Brentford as player in August 1921,[9] after having previously made an appearance for the club as a guest during the First World War.[10] He made 16 appearances and scored two goals for the Bees, with the final appearance of his career coming as a goalkeeper in the final away league game of the 1921–22 season away to Swansea Town.[11]

Management career

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Brentford

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When Mitchell joined Third Division South club Brentford in August 1921,[9] he became the club's player-manager.[9] He presided over three forgettable campaigns, with his best finish being 9th in the 1921–22 season.[12] After a run of seven straight defeats, Mitchell left the club in December 1924.[11]

Queens Park Rangers

[edit]

After coaching in the Balkans and a two-year stint as manager of Southern League club Dartford,[11] Mitchell returned to former club Queens Park Rangers as manager in November 1931, replacing John Bowman, who had to step down due to ill-health.[13] He led the club to a mid-table finish in what remained of the 1931–32 Third Division South season and resigned at the end of the 1932–33 season.[4][14]

International and representative career

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Mitchell made one appearance for England Juniors and made seven appearances for the Southern League representative team while with Queens Park Rangers.[2][11] He made an appearance for the Football League XI in a 4–1 win over the Army on 10 November 1921.[9]

Personal life

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After leaving Brentford and before departing for the Balkans, Mitchell worked in Acton as a schoolteacher.[11]

Career statistics

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Player

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Queens Park Rangers 1907–08[3] Southern League First Division 12 0 0 0 — 12 0
1908–09[15] 23 0 1 0 — 24 0
1909–10[16] 30 1 7 0 — 37 1
1910–11[17] 33 0 1 0 — 34 0
1911–12[6] 37 2 2 0 1[a] 0 40 2
1912–13[18] 38 1 2 0 — 40 1
1913–14[19] 33 1 5 1 — 38 2
1914–15[20] 30 1 3 0 — 33 1
1919–20[21] 35 2 1 0 — 36 0
1920–21[7] Third Division 35 3 2 0 — 37 0
Total 306 11 24 1 1 0 331 12
Brentford 1921–22[10] Third Division South 13 2 3 1 — 16 3
Career total 319 13 27 2 1 0 347 15
  1. ^ Appearance in FA Charity Shield

Manager

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Team From To Record Ref
G W D L Win %
Brentford August 1921 December 1924 155 51 35 69 032.90 [10]
Queens Park Rangers November 1931 May 1933 79 32 18 29 040.51 [22]
Total 234 83 53 98 035.47 —

Honours

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Aston Villa Reserves

Queens Park Rangers

References

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  1. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 206. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mitchell, Archibald P. (Archie)". Aston Villa Player Database. 16 April 1949. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Seasonal Stats – 1907–08". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Queen's Park Rangers F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  5. ^ "England – List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Seasonal Stats – 1911–12". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Seasonal Stats – 1920–21". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Archie Mitchell". Doing The 92. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 74. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  10. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 363–368. ISBN 0951526200.
  11. ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 109. ISBN 0955294916.
  12. ^ Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  13. ^ "A Potted History". QPR. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Mitchell Archie Queens Park Rangers 1914". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1908–09". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  16. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1909–10". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1910–11". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1912–13". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1913–14". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1914–15". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1919–20". QPRnet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  22. ^ Archie Mitchell management career statistics at Soccerbase
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