Jack Dickerson

Like his brother-in-law Wagstaffe Simmons, Jack Dickerson was one of the founders of St. Albans FC and in 1893 was captain and goalkeeper when they won the Hertfordshire Senior Cup for the first time. Dickerson also played for Luton Town and London Caledonians, when St. Albans would release him. He was also a Hertfordshire county player and once played for an England select XI against a visiting French XI, but it was not classed as a full international.

Dickerson served on the St. Albans FC committee and after his playing days became a referee and was a linesman in the 1908 Olympic third-place match between Netherlands and Sweden. The highlight of Dickerson’s refereeing career was in 1911 when he was in charge of the FA Amateur Cup final won by Bromley. However, he went down in history as the first referee to dismiss a player in an Amateur Cup Final when he sent Bromley’s full-back C. Watson from the field of play for striking an opponent as retaliation for a foul.

Dickerson was for many years a St. Albans schoolmaster and it was under him that Billy Minter honed his footballing skills. Minter claimed his own piece of footballing history in 1922 when he scored seven goals in an FA Cup tie for St. Albans, but was on the losing side. Dulwich Hamlet won 8-7!