Walter Anderson

Walter Anderson (1879 – 3 March 1904) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward.

A diminutive forward, Anderson began his career with Darlington before moving to Thornaby Utopians. Having formed a partnership in the team's forward line with Bill Gooing, The following season, he competed with Tim Coleman for a place in the team. he was signed by Frank Brettell to form part of the Devon club's first professional squad. He made his debut in a 1–0 win at West Ham United on 1 September 1903 and scored his first goal in a 2–1 win at Portsmouth eight days later. Having established himself as their first choice inside right, he scored a hat-trick against Wellingborough on 5 December at Home Park as part of a 4–1 win. Two months later, Anderson contracted pneumonia. He carried on playing, ignoring doctors' advice that he should rest, and collapsed after a match against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 27 February 1904. He was rushed to hospital and died four days later, at the age of 25. He made 38 appearances in all competitions for Plymouth Argyle, scoring 13 goals. A memorial fund was created by the club in his honour and a souvenir handbook was published, which described Anderson as "one of the greatest, cleverest and whole-hearted players a club ever commanded."