The son of a forthcoming inductee to the Harrogate Town Hall of Fame who was also for many years a well-known figure in one of the town’s oldest auctioneers has talked of his immense pride at the recognition.
“I know he scored the winning goal in the West Riding Cup Final at Elland Road in 1927 but all this happened just short of 100 years ago well before I was even born so I never saw my dad play.”
First established in 2022 to celebrate those individuals at Harrogate Town who have made significant contributions to the football club since it was formed in 1914, Chris’s father is one of three new inductees into the Hall of Fame.
But, while Dave Merris, who played for the club from 1999 to 2014, and Ernest Baines, who captained the 1926/27 Yorkshire league championship winning side, are justly celebrated for their exploits on the pitch, Horace ‘Bob’ Morphet made just as big contribution off it.
Chris said: “My dad’s father, Horatio Morphet, came to Harrogate from Kirkby Lonsdale buying an existing firm called Wood & Mason.
Horace ‘Bob’ Morphet retired from the auction house in 1964, but the business is still thriving in Albert Street now under the name of Morphets more than 125 years after it began.
As a footballer, Bob Morphet’s career as a “fox in the box’ type of striker was legendary, said his son Chris.
But it started in an unusual manner in 1919 when he was asked if he wanted to play while watching a game as a spectator!
Bob Morphet. A Harrogate Success Story by Chris Morphet
I am so proud that my dad is being inducted into Harrogate Town’s Hall of Fame.
A big thanks to the club’s historian Phil Harrison for suggesting Bob, and also to Bernard Higgins and all the committee for accepting him.
Over 100 years ago in 1919, newcomer Horace Morphet, his real name, went to watch a local game between the YMCA and the Post Office.
One of the teams were a man short and asked him if he wanted to play.
As a keen lad, he went back to his home nearby and got his boots, and by the end of the game had scored three goals
Nobody knew what to call him at short notice during the game, but as the match was in progress they became increasingly excited by this unexpected talent.
At one of the points when he had the ball a spectator with a loud voice, in the heat of the moment, shouted out some phrase like “Go for it Bob”, and others hearing it, presumed that was his name, although the spectator had chosen it at random.
But it simply stuck, and he was known as Bob forever after in Harrogate.
As a footballer Bob went from strength to strength playing for Harrogate YMCA, followed by Harrogate AFC. 1926/27 was the key year where he scored 44 goals in one season, including two really important goals v Selby Town, to win the replay of the West Riding Cup Final at Elland Road 2-1.
The winning goal was described expressively by the Harrogate Herald reporter of the day thus: “As Morphet gathered a pass by J Smith, and crashed the ball home, hat sticks and umbrellas were flung in the air while respectable law-abiding citizens became raving lunatics for the moment”.
All this happened well before I was even born and just short of 100 years ago, so I never saw my dad play.
Maybe he was a “fox in the box’ type of striker.
Modestly, he seldom talked about his footballing career, but he did say that Blackburn Rovers had once tried to sign him.
And I always loved that Bob said he had his very own chant created by Harrogate fans.
The popular song: “Chick, chick, chick, chick chicken lay another egg for me” became “Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob Morphet score another goal for me”.
Bob was also a key member of Harrogate first team cricket club.
He played for them from 1921 – 1946 scoring 2998 runs and taking 192 wickets.
Not exactly top figures, but he captained the first team for 10 years, a role he excelled in and was highly respected by all the players at the time, because of his leadership and his even-tempered personality.
Finally, a lot of people loved to go and watch my dad in his job as auctioneer at Morphet & Morphet.
He had a wonderful, endearing sense of humour that kept buyers on their toes, and entertained by the saleroom banter and atmosphere he created.
Bob’s father, Horatio Morphet, came to Harrogate from Kirkby Lonsdale buying an existing firm called Wood & Mason.
When Horatio was joined in 1923 by his son, the firm became Morphet & Morphet.
Bob retired in 1964, but the business is still thriving in Albert Street now under the name of Morphets.
©Chris Morphet
Harrogate Town AFC Hall of Fame committee meet once a month and include representatives from the Independent Supporters Club, the Football Club’s Community Foundation, the club Historian, long term supporters and staff at the club.
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