Memorabilia collected by one of Huddersfield Town’s greatest ever – yet little celebrated – players raised more than £37,000 at auction.
Defender and captain Roy Goodall was a one-club-man who played for Town for 16 years in the 1920s and 1930s. He captained England 12 times and earned 25 international caps.
He was part of the famous ‘thrice champions’ who won three league titles in a row under legendary manager Herbert Chapman in 1924, 1925 and 1926. He would have captained England in the first ever World Cup in 1930 had England chosen to take part.
Among more than 50 lots which went under the hammer was a Town shirt worn in the 1930 FA Cup Final at Wembley (pictured below). Town lost 2-0 to Arsenal. The shirt sold for £4,000.
The memorabilia, sold by Graham Budd Auctions in Northamptonshire on behalf of the Goodall family, included medals, international caps, programmes, photographs and other items.
Goodall, who played 403 matches for Town between 1921 and 1937, died aged 79 in 1982.
Other notable items sold included: a 9ct gold 1930 FA Cup Final runners-up medal (£3,600); an 18ct gold 1923-24 Commemorative Football League Champions pocket watch retailed by Fillans & Sons of Huddersfield (£1,300); a pennant presented to Goodall as England captain by France skipper Marcel Domergue before an international in 1928 (£3,200); and a programme from the 1930 FA Cup Final (£400).
There was also a photograph of the England team in 1933 with Mussolini, which had also been autographed by the Italian dictator. It sold for £480, well above the top estimate of £350.
A team picture of the Town team from 1924-25 was also a surprise hit, selling for £280, almost twice the top estimate.
In its description, Graham Budd Auctions says: “Goodall was no ordinary football defender. At his peak, he was widely recognised as one of the best defenders in the world, playing an incredible 25 times for his country, many as captain and at a time when the world was a far bigger place.
“Twenty-five caps back then could arguably be the equivalent of over 100 today due to the number of games played.
“Had England deemed to take a team to the first World Cup, Roy Goodall would have worn the armband, and you have to wonder what other trophies he would have lifted on an even bigger stage to add to the wonderful haul his years in the game brought.”
Goodall was born in Dronfield and after his playing career ended he had a spell as manager at Mansfield Town.
The auctioneers said the Goodall family wanted to find new homes for his collection so that future generations would “know his name, what he did and the style in which he did it.” They described him as “a true footballer.”
Photographs courtesy: Graham Budd Auctions
