Archie Goodall was a goalscoring half-back who played for Ireland, Derby County, Preston North End, and Aston Villa at the turn of the 20th century. He scored in Ireland’s 2-0 UFWC win over Wales in 1903, by then a veteran at 38 years old.

Archie played alongside his brother John at Derby, although the siblings played for different countries. Archie was born in Ireland, John was born in England, and both were raised in Scotland. (John starred for England in the UFWC in the 1890s, and scored 10 UFWC goals.)

Tough and controversial, it was said that opponents were ‘attracted as if by a magnet to the business end of Archie’s shoulder’. Goodall almost missed the kick-off of the 1898 FA Cup Final for Derby because he was outside the ground touting his complimentary tickets.

After retiring from the game, Goodall toured Europe and the Americas with a bizarre vaude-ville act billed in the programme thus: ‘Archie Goodall (former greatest football player of the past decade) in his thriller: walking the hoop. Here is an indescribable sensation that has startled two continents. He will defy the laws of nature and walk the interior of a hoop 50 feet in circumference, five inches wide, three inches thick and weighs 200 pounds.’ Roll up, roll up.