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Like most of his team-mates, Astley came from working-class stock, being the son of a butcher after whom he was named, and was employed as a weaver. William was the brother of Alf Astley, who had been a regular player for the
Olympic, but by 1883 was coaching the side.
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Astley joined his older brother at
Olympic in 1881, playing his first match for the club in a friently against Liverpool A.F.C. in March, at full-back while Alf played ahead of him at half-back. Later that year, in the first round of the
192:, Astley made his competition debut; with Alf stepping back into a coaching role, Olympic tried out a new 1-2-2-6 formation, rather than the usual 2–2–6, with William one of the two "three-quarter" backs (alongside
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Astley was registered as a professional at the start of the 1885–86 season, as per the new regulations, but his career was almost at an end. His final match in the FA Cup was in the defeat to
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in the third round; he only played half of the match, as his knee gave way, and the ten-man
Olympic went down 3–1. The injury - a recurrence of an old one - seems to have ended his career.
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Astley married Betsy
Boothman in Blackburn on 4 November 1879; the couple's son James was born the following year. After leaving the game, he became a newsagent in
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It was the high point of his career, and that of
Olympic. Astley played in the 1883 Lancashire Charity Cup final against the club's richer rival,
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and
Olympic won the Cup with a 2–1 victory. Astley kept his Cup-winners' medal on a watch-chain which he wore into his seventies.
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The
Blackburn Olympic Cup-winning side in 1883. Astley is on the far right of the middle row, seated in front of his brother Alf
238:, and the Rovers claimed local honours with a 6–2 win. Astley also collected two runners-up medals in 1885, in both the
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415:"Blackburn victorious - Blackburn Olympians victorious in the Football Association Challenge Cup competition".
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The following season
Olympic changed formation again to 2–3–5, moving Astley and Gibson to midfield, adding
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as the pivot in centre-midfield. This formula instantly paid dividends as
Olympic beat the fancied
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Baptisms solemnized in the Parish of
Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, in the Year 1860
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227:. In the final, the three-man midfield "repeatedly proved stumbling blocks" to opponents
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538:. Blackburn: Parish of St Michael and All Angels. 4 November 1879. p. 156.
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Astley had a one-off appearance in goal for Olympic in the first round of the
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223:, and indeed Astley was a regular in the side as it went all the way to the
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and the midfield. The formation did not work as Olympic went down 3–1 to
242:(beaten again by Rovers) and the Charity Cup (beaten by Accrington).
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331:"Great Reputations: Blackburn Olympic 1883 – working class heroes"
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304:. Blackburn: Parish of Blackburn. 31 October 1860. p. 255.
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from 1912 until his retirement in 1927. Astley died at the
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211:in defence alongside Warburton, and recruiting
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445:"East Lancashire Charity Cup (Final Tie)".
318:. Trinity Ward, Blackburn. 1861. p. 1.
137:*Club domestic league appearances and goals
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18:
475:"East Lancashire Charity Cup Final Tie".
564:"Footballers Had Pick-me-Ups in 1882".
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154:(16 October 1860 - 22 May 1939) was an
611:Men's association football midfielders
249:, which may have been something of an
385:"English Association Challenge Cup".
7:
460:"The final for the Lancashire Cup".
112:
549:"Last of Blackburn Olympic team".
400:"Blackburn Olympic v Accrington".
14:
370:"Blackburn Olympic v Liverpool".
606:Blackburn Olympic F.C. players
520:"Church v Blackburn Olympic".
355:"Blackburn Olympic Cup Team".
1:
196:) between the sole full-back
536:Lancashire parish registers
276:, and ran the Larkhall Inn
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596:Footballers from Blackburn
219:in the first round of the
601:English men's footballers
432:Birmingham Weekly Mercury
282:Blackburn Royal Infirmary
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257:aside by 12 goals to 0.
566:Manchester Evening News
551:Lancashire Evening Post
494:: 3. 20 September 1884.
430:"Cup fighters of old".
387:Nottingham Evening Post
357:Lancashire Evening Post
329:Jensen, Neil Frederik.
524:: 4. 30 November 1885.
509:: 5. 5 September 1885.
505:"Football prospects".
434:: 19. 9 December 1934.
404:: 3. 11 November 1882.
359:: 9. 27 November 1934.
156:association footballer
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389:: 4. 1 November 1881.
240:Lancashire Senior Cup
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25:Personal information
464:: 3. 25 April 1885.
374:: 3. 19 March 1881.
255:Oswaldtwisle Rovers
253:as Olympic brushed
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507:Blackburn Standard
492:Blackburn Standard
447:Blackburn Standard
419:: 7. 7 April 1883.
402:Blackburn Standard
372:Blackburn Standard
335:Game of the people
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16:English footballer
568:: 5. 22 May 1939.
553:: 7. 22 May 1939.
449:: 3. 19 May 1883.
225:1883 FA Cup final
164:Blackburn Olympic
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127:Blackburn Olympic
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198:Albert Warburton
162:as a player for
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183:Football career
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41:16 October 1860
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251:esprit du jeu,
247:1884–85 FA Cup
221:1882–83 FA Cup
190:1881–82 FA Cup
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152:William Astley
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90:Senior career*
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72:Place of death
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67:(aged 78)
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46:Place of birth
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33:William Astley
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20:William Astley
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338:. Retrieved
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278:public house
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229:Old Etonians
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158:who won the
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65:(1939-05-22)
591:1939 deaths
586:1860 births
316:1861 census
213:Jack Hunter
80:Position(s)
63:22 May 1939
580:Categories
490:"report".
340:1 February
288:References
274:Brookhouse
217:Accrington
209:Jimmy Ward
194:Tom Gibson
174:Early life
84:Right-half
54:Lancashire
75:Blackburn
50:Blackburn
30:Full name
122:1881–85
262:Church
202:Darwen
160:FA Cup
95:Years
342:2024
168:1883
105:Apps
99:Team
166:in
113:Gls
582::
333:.
204:.
170:.
52:,
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115:)
111:(
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