Toon Heroes #1 - Albert Shepherd

Albert Shepherd (10 September 1885 – 8 November 1929) was an English footballer. He played centre forward for Newcastle United between 1908 to 1914.

Born in Lancashire, England, Shepherd was known for having a ferocious shot and being very charismatic. For example in one match he asked the Newcastle officials that if he scored a hat-trick in the game, could he leave the match early to catch a train. The officials agreed; he scored a hat-trick and caught his train on time.

He also has a place in FA Cup history as being the first person to score a penalty in an FA Cup Final. At Newcastle he played 132 games, scoring 94 goals, winning a League Championship (1909) and an FA Cup final (1910) along the way. His other clubs included Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Bradford City.

Shepherd scored the winner in the 1910 replay bagging a brace in the 2-0 defeat of Barnsley at Goodison Park, he also was the 1st divisions top scorer in the 1910-11 season.