Fred Poland was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a centre forward.
He let it be known around Burnley that he was a footballer, having played at senior level in Scotland, and also that he was both a goalscorer and a goalkeeper.
The football club heard about him and invited him to play in a friendly match against Newton Heath at Turf Moor.
He played at centre-forward, exceeding expectations by scoring two goals in a 7-1 victory.
[3] Poland made his league début on 8 September 1888, as a forward, against Preston North End at Deepdale.