No.3 – Ephraim Longworth
After last time’s Elisha Scott article, another biblical name joins the ranks of past Anfield greats. This time it’s a right-back who captained club and country. Both Eph – as he was known - Longworth and Elisha Scott in goal were instrumental in securing the club’s back-to-back title wins of 1921/2 and 1922/3. The two helped form one of the best defences in Liverpool's history. Longworth also played in Liverpool’s first-ever FA Cup Final in 1914, a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Crystal Palace, and was one of only a handful of Liverpool players to ever captain his country, as he approached his 34th birthday.
Born in Bolton in 1887, Longworth signed for Liverpool FC in 1910 from Leyton in London, where he’d spent two seasons in the Southern League. He made his Liverpool debut on 19th September of that year at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. During his remarkable 18-year career at Anfield he became one of the most consistent defenders Liverpool have ever had, and was known for his composed style of play.
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