Working class hero?

 The focus of early Association football was exclusive- the preserve of young men, likely ex Public Schoolboys and university men of independent means. 
According to our research 27 players represented England before a 'working man' was included in the line up.
The schools/clubs/university affiliations of most of the players from the early days reveal their upper class backgrounds. Further insight is gleaned from their father's occupations and the professions that the players themselves pursued (often later than their footballing careers). Let's see:

Game		school or college
1	Robert Barker	Westminster
	Father was a rector, he was a civil engineer.
1	Harwood Greenhalgh
	Father Lace Manufacturer, he managed a cotton factory.
1	Reginald Courtenay Welch	Harrow
	Followed his father into the law.
1	Frederick Chappell	Marlborough, Oxford University
	Followed his father into the law.
1	William J Maynard
	Legal clerk.
1	John Brockbank	Shrewsbury, Cambridge University
	Actor.
1	Charlie Clegg
	Solicitor.
1	Cuthbert Ottaway	Eton, Oxford University
	Son of a surgeon, Ottaway became a barrister.
1	Charles Chenery
	Articled to solicitors.
1	Kirke Smith	Cheltenham College, Oxford University
	Father was a solicitor and farmer- he was at Oxford University and went into the church.
1	Charles John Morice	Harrow
	Stockbroker, as was his father.
2	Alexander Morton
	Member of the stock exchange.
2	Leonard Howell	Winchester College
	Malt Factor.
2	Lieut. Alfred G Goodwyn	Royal Military Academy
	From a military family and an officer in the Royal Engineers.
2	Walpole Vidal	Westminster, Oxford University
	Went into the church.
2	Lieut. Pelham von Donop	Royal Military Academy
	An officer in the Royal Engineers.
2	William Clegg
	Solicitor.
2	Alexander Bonsor	Eton
	A brewer by trade, a director of Combe & Co., the family business.
2	Hubert Heron
	Commercial clerk.
2	William Kenyon-Slaney	Eton , Oxford University
	From a military family, an officer in the Grenadier Guards. His proper title in later life- The Right Honorable Colonel William Slaney Kenyon-Slaney MP.
3	Robert Ogilvie	Brentwood School
	A member of Lloyds.
3	Alfred Hugh Stratford	Malvern College
	No occupations recorded.
3	Francis Birley	Winchester College, Oxford University
	Barrister.
3	Charles Wollaston	Lancing College, Oxford University
	Solicitor.
3	Robert Kingsford	Marlborough College
	His father was a solicitor, Robert lived on independent means.
3	J Hawley Edwards
	Solicitor.
3	John Owen	Oxford University
	Schoolmaster and clergyman.

What a profusion of lawyers! And then, in England's 4th international (06.03.75) William Henry Carr was one of six new 'caps' (an anachronism here). 

4	William Carr
	A Metalsmith.
4	Edward Haygarth	Lancing College
	Solicitor.
4	William Rawson	Westminster, Oxford University
	Oxford schoolmaster, Electrical Engineer.
4	Charlie Alcock	Harrow
	Sports journalist and administrator.
4	Herbert Rawson
	An officer in the Royal Engineers.
4	Cpt.Richard Geaves	Harrow
	An army officer.

Carr played for a number of Sheffield clubs and also represented the Sheffield Association. He was with Owlerton when he made his only international appearance, in which he came on 15 minutes late! He is described variously as A Metalsmith, a white metal smith and later a silversmith.  

Carr's fellow Sheffielder Billy Mosforth (one of seven who became the 43rd players to represent England in match #6, 03.03.77) is often cited as being England's first working class player, and he was undoubtedly a professional footballer. However, Jimmy Forrest is generally regarded as being the first professional footballer to represent England, although he was 'among others' from the leading Lancashire clubs who were representing England during the period when professionalism was sanctioned by the FA.