Biography
Centre half Ellis Hall was born in Ecclesfield, a small town north of Sheffield, the sixth of nine siblings of which four played professional football. Ellis joined the Tigers in January 1906 at the tender age of sixteen along with his brother Harry. He was introduced to the City first team shortly afterwards, deputising three times for William Robinson. He returned to the City first eleven at Christmas 1906, playing three more times, and made two further appearances early in 1907. He spent the entire 1907/08 season in the Tigers’ Reserves – a chance to make a first team start in December 1907 was thwarted when a late running train meant Ellis was unable to deputise at short notice for an unwell Arthur Temple – and he left the club in the 1908 close season.
Hall spent 1908/09 season at Hastings and St Leonards, where he played in over 80 matches in a season and helped the South Coast side to finish runners-up in the Southern League Second Division – Ellis also played for Hastings in a January 1909 FA Cup First Round tie against Division Two side Blackpool. In May 1909 he joined Stoke, who at the time were playing in the Birmingham & District League after bankruptcy led to the Potters being jettisoned from Division Two, and he was an immediate first team regular. A year later he moved to Huddersfield Town, who had just been elected to Division Two, and in two seasons Ellis scored two goals in 40 appearances for the Terriers before joining North Eastern League side South Shields in August 1912 – the Tyneside team signed Hall from under the noses of Division Two side Barnsley, who were also preparing an offer. He served South Shields for three seasons until World War One halted football in the summer of 1915.
During the war Hall remained in England and served several clubs in wartime fixtures including Huddersfield Town, Derby County, Sheffield United, Grimsby Town and – in 1916 and 1917 – Hull City. Hall returned to South Shields in early 1919 but when the Football League resumed in September 1919 Ellis had moved north of the border to join Hamilton Academical. He had three seasons at the Accies before joining Halifax Town in August 1922 – after a summer transfer the Millwall Athletic was aborted. Hall was captain of Halifax Town for three seasons and scored three goals in 129 first team starts before he left for Rochdale in November 1925, only to leave Dale again in February 1926 having failed to make a senior appearance. He joined North Eastern League side Consett in August 1927 though an injury sustained in a pre-season trial meant he didn’t make his Consett debut until November 1927. He eventually drew his 22 year career to a close in the 1928 close season, an impressive record of longevity at a time when most footballers retired after no more than ten years spent in what was a brutal professional game.
Ellis then went into football coaching, in August 1929 he was appointed first team trainer at North Eastern League side North Shields, a post he held until the end of the 1933/34 season. His son, also called Ellis, followed in his footsteps and played North Eastern League football for several sides during the 1930s. Hall senior later returned to his home town Ecclesfield, he died there in March 1947 at the age of 57.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 22 June 1889, Ecclesfield
Hull City First Game: 14 March 1906, Blackpool A (Division Two), 16 years, 265 days old
Hull City Final Game: 23 March 1907, Lincoln City H (Division Two), 17 years, 274 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1906-1908), Hastings and St Leonards (1908-1909), Stoke (1909-1910), Huddersfield Town (1910-1912), South Shields (1912-1915), Hamilton Academical (1919-1922), Halifax Town (1922-1925), Rochdale (1925-1926), Consett (1927-1928)
Hull City Record
Career: 8 apps, 0 goals
Ellis Hall| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905/06 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1906/07 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1907/08 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |