Ted Sagar - 1929 -1952:

Ted Sagar joined Everton in March 1929 from a small club called Thorne Collery FC in Yorkshire for a £10 signing on fee, and was to play for the club for 24 years until his retirement in 1953. He spent nine months in the club's junior side before making his first team debut on 18 January 1930 at home to Derby County.

Sagar was slim and underweight for a goalkeeper, at a time when it was allowed for centre-forwards to bounce both goalkeeper and ball into the net. He survived by sheer skill and perfected the art of cross taking, practicing hour after hour with team mates until coming and taking high balls instinctively.

During his debit season he played eight times but suffered the ignominity of relegation from the top flight for the first time. He did not play in the successful return to the first division but was recalled for the following season which saw the club win the League title for the third time.

Sagar was to make the goalkeeper position his own and in 1933 he added a FA Cup winners medal to the League title from the previous season. There was not to be any more success for Ted Sagar nor Everton over the next five seasons, the best was to be one top ten finish. Season 1938 - 39 was to see another league title arrive at Goodison Park and Sagar was one of ten players that season to play in more than thirty five games.

The outbreak of the Second World War saw to it that Everton could not defend their title and Sagar could not add to his growing haul of games. However war-time did allow him to add one unique entry to his playing career. He was to gain four caps for England but gained the distinction of representing another country when he played for Northern Ireland. They were short of a keeper for a match against Southern Ireland and they turned to Sagar who was stationed in Portadown with the Signal Corps.

Following the return to peace time Everton failed to recapture the form or level of performance that had seen them lift the title in 1939 and season 1950-51 saw the club relegated for the second time.

The following season Ted Sagar was to only play ten games and in season 1952-53 he only played one game. His last league game was on 15th November 1952 at Plymouth Argyle, his actual final game for Everton was in May 1953 at Goodison Park against Tranmere Rovers in the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup.

Ted Sagar was 43 years old when he retired form football, during his 24 years with Everton he set an appearance record that was to stand for over 40 years, who knows what the record would have been had it not been for the Second World War. After retiring he served as the landlord of the Blue Anchor pub in Aintree. He died in October 1986 aged 76 and his ashes were spread in the Gladwy's Street goalmouth.

Everton playing record :

League appearances 463, goals 0

FA Cup appearances 32, goals 0