Fred Dewhurst was a member of the Preston North End 'Invincibles', the leading professional side of the late 1880s described by one contemporary journalist as a 'machine',
For Preston Dewhurst appeared in the 1888 FA Cup Final , scoring in the 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
The following season, in which The Invincibles won the double, he again scored in the Cup Final (in a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers) and claimed 12 goals in 16 League appearances.
In League football Dewhurst scored a total of 13 goals in 24 games.
Unlike his teammates at Deepdale Dewhurst, a teacher at Preston Catholic School, was an amateur. This enabled him to also represent the greatest amateur side of the day, Corinthian FC.
He represented Corinth 29 times (1884-89) scoring 14 goals.
Dewhurst played 9 times for England. He scored in 8 of these 9 games and hit 12 goals in total:
G
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|||||
1
|
13.03.86
|
Ireland
|
Ballynafeigh, Belfast
|
W 6-1
|
1
|
2
|
29.03.86
|
Wales
|
The Racecourse, Wrexham
|
W 3-1
|
1
|
3
|
05.02.87
|
Ireland
|
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
|
W 7-0
|
2
|
4
|
26.02.87
|
Wales
|
Oval
|
W 4-0
|
|
5
|
19.03.87
|
Scotland
|
Leamington Road, Blackburn
|
L 2-3
|
1
|
6
|
04.02.88
|
Wales
|
Nantwich Road Ground, Crewe
|
W 5-1
|
3
|
7
|
17.03.88
|
Scotland
|
Hampden (II)
|
W 5-0
|
2
|
8
|
07.04.88
|
Ireland
|
Ballynafeigh, Belfast
|
W 5-1
|
1
|
9
|
23.02.89
|
Wales
|
Victoria Ground, Stoke
|
W 4-1
|
1
|
The great football writer J.A.H Catton (Tityrus) wrote of Dewhurst:
(He) was a big, vigorous build of a player and talented, but he had not the science of his colleagues. ...he could simply walk over his opponents-and did.
Dewhurst died on April 21, 1895, at the age of 32.
