In his debut season at Everton, Fred Geary scored 22 goals in 18 league games, which helped Everton finish 2nd in the second Football League season, just 2 points behind champions Sunderland. In all competitions, he scored 27 goals in 20 games. Of those 20 games, he failed to score in only 3. An impeccable start to his Everton career. However, it was very nearly a short one.
On 24th March 1890, 3,000 fans watched Geary play in an international trial match at the Gregory Ground in Nottingham. The purpose of the trial match was to decide which players will play for England in a friendly against Scotland in 12 days’ time. The trial match, however, became very challenging for the players as torrential rain made the pitch very muddy and slippery. The inclement weather resulted in the match being delayed by 20 minutes, but it still went ahead.
Fred Geary broke the deadlock, capitalising on a howler from West Brom goalkeeper Bob Roberts. Roberts tried to clear the ball but missed it completely and allowed Geary to take advantage. Geary then had a chance to double his tally with a little help from West Brom’s Billy Bassett and Oxford University’s Edmund Currey, but his shot went straight to the goalkeeper. He had two more chances in quick succession. One was a one-on-one, helped again by Bassett and Currey, only to be stopped by the feet of Roberts as the goalkeeper came out to stop Geary, and the other was again stopped by Roberts almost immediately after saving his previous attempt. Fred Geary made an instant impact in the game and could easily have scored at least a couple more as he seemed unstoppable. However, disaster struck.
While the match was still in its early stages, Fred Geary was again on the ball. He was near the corner of the pitch and as he was about to cross the ball, he was charged by Sheffield Wednesday’s Teddy Brayshaw. There was no malice in the charge; it was a fair challenge. However, Geary fell backwards and hit his head on a wooden bench. He immediately lost consciousness. There was a lot of concern about his condition and he was soon brought into the dressing room and was rested on carriage cushions and rugs. A couple of doctors assessed him and concluded that he was in a very serious condition and there was a chance that he could die.
He was promptly attended to by Drs Ashwell and Stewart, who pronounced him suffering from concussion of the brain. His condition is undoubtedly serious, although Dr Ashwell does not anticipate a fatal termination. The patient will have to be carefully nursed, and kept exceedingly quiet.
Nottingham Evening Post
He was looked after carefully throughout the night and the next day, the Nottingham Evening Post reported that he had regained consciousness and his condition had significantly improved.
In the course of last night, Fred Geary, of Nottingham, the Everton Club professional, who was so seriously injured in the International trial match at the Gregory Ground on Monday, recovered consciousness, and he is now considered to be out of immediate danger. The improvement in his condition appears to be steadily maintained, but the medical men enjoin strict quiet, and only near relatives have been permitted to visit him at the General Hospital.
After he regained consciousness, Geary was reported to have been in good spirits. Over time, his condition improved more and more and made his return to the pitch five weeks after his accident in Everton’s 6-2 friendly win over Partick Thistle, with Geary scoring two of the goals. The Liverpool Mercury said Geary “showed his accident has taken none of his dash, as at times he was very brilliant.” In the succeeding post-season friendlies, Geary had scored a further eight goals, including a hat-trick against Bootle.
The following season, he scored 19 goals in 22 league games – more than any other Everton player – as Everton became champions for the first time. A remarkable recovery from a potentially life-threatening injury.