ABSTRACT
Arthur signed for Rotherham Town as a forward in August 1889. One of four players to join the Clifton Lane club at the beginning of their first season in the newly formed Midland League, he was described as 'fast ... safe and tricky on the ball'.1 One of the other newcomers, De Ville, was signed as a goalkeeper. Rotherham also had another custodian, Watson. (Assuming it was Arthur's decision to join the club as an attacker, his choice would have been determined by the need, as a professional runner, to lessen the chance of injury.) In fact, Arthur's sprint trainer did not want him to play football at all. He was still preparing his man for the September Handicap at the Queen's Ground, Sheffield. However, Arthur may have seen things from a longer perspective. His second job, as professional footballer, would provide a steady income over at least eight months while pedestrianism was pay-by-performance. This may help explain why he was willing to play a contact sport and put up with a few knocks now and again. The compromise with his trainer was over the position he would play; as an attacker Arthur may have felt there was less chance of injury.
