| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harry John Almond[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 17 April 1850 | ||
| Place of birth | Westminster, London, England | ||
| Date of death | 1910 (aged 60)[1] | ||
| Place of death | At Sea, Venezuela[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1867–1868 | Charterhouse School | ||
| 1868–1869 | Stoke Ramblers | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Harry John Almond (17 April 1850 – 1910) helped form Stoke Ramblers (now Stoke City) in the 1860s.[1]
Almond was born in Westminster, London in 1850. He attended the private Charterhouse School where he played association football with his house team Gownboys and the School's team.[1] Almond had a major role in forming Stoke Ramblers believed to have been in 1863 when Railway students from the Charterhouse School moved to Stoke-upon-Trent to work as apprentices for the North Staffordshire Railway.[1] Amongst them was Henry Almond who was a keen sportsman and it is believed that he introduced organised club football to the local workers, although there is no record that matches took place.[1] However, in 1868 it was reported in The Field newspaper that Stoke Ramblers had been formed with Almond as its captain and the club was to play under association football rules.[1] It remains unclear as to whether Stoke played any matches from 1863 to 1868.[1] He played in and scored the first ever Stoke goal against E.W May's XV in a friendly on 17 October 1868.[1] He left Staffordshire soon after to continue his career in railway.[1] Later he became a successful Civil Engineer, going abroad to work in Costa Rica for the Venezuela-based La Guayra and Caracas Railway Company. He died at sea the age of 60.[1]