John "Jack" Hallam (26 June 1869 – 7 March 1949) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as an

outside right Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. He was

capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...

at full international level for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He played 133 games for

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...

in the

Football Alliance The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92. History In 1888, the same year the Football League was founded, The Combination was established by clubs who had been ...

and

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

, and also represented Oswestry Town,

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...

and Trowbridge Town.

Career

Hallam was born in Oswestry,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, on the border with Wales, the eldest child of Lister Hallam of Hull, Yorkshire and Eliza Ann Bell of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. Hallam started his football career with clubs in his native town. While with Oswestry Town he won international honours for

, on 23 February 1889 in a 4–1 defeat to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. A report of the match said that Hallam "showed great speed but was evidently nervous and hesitated too much". In 1890, he moved to

, then playing in the Football Alliance, and made more than 150 appearances for the club in all competitions. The strength of Hallam's game lay in his speed, and he formed fine partnerships on the right side with both Charlie Short and

Billy Walton William Howard T. Walton (6 August 1871 – 10 February 1963) was an English footballer who played for Small Heath (now Birmingham City) for fourteen years. He made 232 appearances and scored 70 goals in all competitions. Biography Walton was ...

. In Small Heath's first Football League season, they won the inaugural

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

championship; Hallam contributed 17 goals, and was only outscored by future England international

Fred Wheldon George Frederick Wheldon (1 November 1869 – 13 January 1924) was an English sportsman. He was sometimes known as Fred or Freddie Wheldon. In football, he was an inside-forward with good footwork and an eye for goal who played for England and ...

. He also helped them to runners-up spot and promotion to the First Division the following year and played a further 18 months in the top flight. He then moved to

, where he played for one season in the Southern League, followed by a season with Trowbridge Town in the Western League, then returning to Swindon for a final season in their Western League team. After football, he lived in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he worked as a fitter for the Great Western Railway.''1911 England Census'' He died in the town in 1949, aged 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallam, Jack 1869 births 1949 deaths Sportspeople from Oswestry English men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Men's association football wingers Oswestry Town F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Trowbridge Town F.C. players Football Alliance players English Football League players Southern Football League players Western Football League players Welsh men's footballers Footballers from Shropshire