Harry Wake

Henry Williamson "Harry" Wake (born 21 January 1901 in Seaton Delaval, died 1981) is a former English professional footballer. He is most famous for playing for Cardiff City in the 1925 FA Cup Final and being part of the team that won the 1927 FA Cup, although he missed the final through injury.

Career

Wake began his career playing local football for Bigges Colliery before turning professional to join Newcastle United in 1919. He moved on to Cardiff City in 1923, making his debut in February 1924 in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. In 1925 he was a major part of the team that reached the final of the 1925 FA Cup, playing in all of the clubs seven games leading up to the final.

The final took place on 25 April with Cardiff losing 1-0 to Sheffield United. Unfortunately it was a mistake from Wake that cost his team the match. United defender Harry Pantling hit a long pass down the pitch towards an area of the field Wake was covering but unfortunately he hesitated and failed to cut out the pass, leaving the ball to fly past him to Fred Tunstall who scored the only goal of the game. Following the match Wake was chastised in the Welsh media with headlines such as "Wake Not Awake" on newspapers across the country and it took several years for him to live down his mistake.