Gordon started out by researching his own family, prompted by a genealogist friend. But it wasn\u2019t until 2005, when he decided to write a book and picked sporting ancestors as its theme, that he began looking more closely at Maureen\u2019s heritage.<\/p>
\u201cMy wife\u2019s grandfather Bruce Rankin had played for Everton. I also knew her cousin Andy Rankin had played for Everton, because our paths crossed when we were in the Liverpool City Police Cadets in 1961. He was only in the cadets a short time before he signed full time for Everton. And our son, Gavin, played rugby union professionally, and for Scotland on an international level. But \u2028I didn\u2019t know anything else.\u201d<\/p>
In all, four of Maureen\u2019s footballing family feature in the book. Her grandfather Bruce Rankin had played for Everton from 1901 to 1906, and later several other clubs. Andy, his grandson, was an Everton goalkeeper in the 1960s and 1970s, before signing for Watford and later Huddersfield. Bruce\u2019s son Billy, who was on Everton\u2019s books as an amateur, also features. He turned out for Marine FC in the 1931\/32 FA Amateur Cup Final, represented England at baseball and became a baseball referee. Finally, there\u2019s Billy\u2019s elder son and grandson of Bruce, George, who played for Everton in the 1950s before he moved to Southport FC.<\/p> \u201cThey all represented their country at one level or another, but I think that the most notable achievement was probably down to Andy Rankin in 1970,\u201d says \u2028Gordon. \u201cHe was the first goalkeeper to save a spot kick in a penalty shootout in the European cup. His save helped Everton beat the German club Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach, although they went out in the next round. Most Everton fans from that era will remember Andy for that save \u2013 \u2028it\u2019s in the record books forever.\u201d<\/p> Gordon\u2019s research revealed something that, as far as he knows, is unique: \u201cFour generations of the same family have achieved significant sporting success over the period of 100 years.\u201d His proudest discovery, though, is that eight members (at least) of the Rankin family represented Everton.<\/p> \u201cMost of my discoveries came from ploughing through newspaper reports in local papers in local libraries.\u201d During these forays, Gordon found references to sportsmen on his wife\u2019s tree the family knew nothing about. \u201cI found an article listing the team for one of Everton\u2019s reserve games in 1905. It showed a G Rankin in the forward line. I knew that Bruce had a brother called George Rankin, but I couldn\u2019t tie G Rankin to the family at that stage.\u201d Later, Gordon found an article that mentioned that George was Bruce\u2019s younger brother. \u201cIt said he\u2019d played for Everton on a number of occasions in 1905, then for Tranmere Rovers and later Eccleston Town.<\/p> \u201cI also discovered that Billy Rankin\u2019s youngest son, also called Billy, played for a number of Everton\u2019s teams, but never the first 11. After that, he went to Southport, where he played mostly in the reserves and, on occasion, alongside his elder brother George, who\u2019s also featured in the book.\u201d<\/p> It turned out that another of Bruce\u2019s grandsons \u2013 Maureen\u2019s cousin, Billy Wallace \u2013 was on Everton\u2019s books as a young \u2028player. Andy Rankin\u2019s father George Rankin was reportedly \u2028on Everton\u2019s books as well.<\/p> Gordon wrote to various football clubs including Everton, but they didn\u2019t have much information. When he found out that Billy Rankin senior played baseball for England, as well as football for Marine FC, he wrote to the English Baseball Association, who proved very helpful. But the most fruitful resource he used was The Everton Collection. \u201cIt contains a tremendous amount of memorabilia going back to the 1880s, including minutes of board meetings, match programmes and photographs.\u201d All this was gathered by avid Everton fan David France over 25 years. It was bought by a charitable trust in 2007, and is now housed in Liverpool Record Office. In 2009, it was made available online.<\/p> \u201cI uncovered information I\u2019d never have been able to find elsewhere,\u201d says Gordon. \u201cFor example, from the minutes of the directors\u2019 meeting in May 1901, I learnt that Bruce had been engaged as assistant trainer at 25 shillings a week. That\u2019s how he started at Everton. Five months later, the board of directors resolved that Bruce \u2018be instructed to train as a player\u2019 and his pay was increased to 30 shillings a week.\u201d<\/p> The local newspapers were full of exciting details about Bruce\u2019s career too. \u201cFinding the report in the Liverpool Echo of Bruce\u2019s first game for Everton \u2013 albeit just for the reserves \u2013 was perhaps the most memorable moment for me. It was just a thrill to find it.\u201d<\/p> Local newspapers reported that Bruce was transferred to West Bromwich Albion for \u00a3500 in February 1906. Gordon learnt that the actual sum was \u00a3250, although according to the minutes of the directors\u2019 meeting, the initial offer was only \u00a3100.<\/p> Soon after Bruce was signed, a local newspaper described him as \u201cone of the best outside rights in England\u201d and the West Bromwich Albion Weekly News reported that \u201cRankin is as clever a footballer as there is \u2013 not alone in the Albion ranks, but throughout the country\u201d. He\u2019d had an England trial when he was at Everton, so was obviously a top player. But his career soon began to falter.<\/p> \u201cTwelve months after his signing to West Brom, he was suspended and was never to play for the club again for insubordination during a trip to Rhyl, where the team had gone to prepare for an FA Cup tie. According to the papers, he\u2019d previously broken training regulations on several occasions and the club felt that there was no other option but to suspend him.<\/p> \u201cWhen I mentioned the incident to my wife\u2019s aunt, Bruce\u2019s last surviving daughter, she told me that the problem had been drunkenness. Although, while he was at Everton, there was nothing in the board meeting minutes to suggest Bruce was a drinker.\u201d<\/p> Gordon thinks that moving to Birmingham and living in lodgings could have been a factor. \u201cPerhaps being away from home meant that drink was too difficult to resist\u2026\u201d<\/p> Another club offered him a glimmer of hope. \u201cFollowing his suspension, Bruce was signed by Manchester City, but he was released at the end of that season. Their records were destroyed by a fire in 1920, so sadly they couldn\u2019t tell me why.\u201d<\/p> After Bruce\u2019s transfer, West Bromwich Albion reached the semi-final of the FA Cup and the club struck engraved medals for the players who\u2019d helped them get there. \u201cSurprisingly, perhaps, they gave Bruce a medal, as he\u2019d played in two games against Stoke City that season.\u201d The medal was sold at some point, but the family managed to track it down and buy it back. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p> Bruce\u2019s wasted opportunities are one of the things that will stay with Gordon: \u201cHe grew up on Neston Street, which runs right up to Everton\u2019s football ground. When he was a youngster, he would have seen the crowds going to the football matches \u2013 perhaps that\u2019s what triggered his passion for the game. It was upsetting to realise that he failed to realise his full potential because of his own behaviour. I would love to have been able to meet him.\u201d<\/p>![\"Bruce](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/06\/Bruce3-61962d8.jpg\" "\\"Bruce")
Proud Tradition<\/h4>
![\"Everton](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/06\/George8-5b4438b.jpg\" "\\"George")
The Thrill Of Discovery<\/h4>
A Second Chance<\/h4>