John Thomas Wilson (born 8 March 1897) was an English

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 le ...

who played as a wing half.

Career

Born in

Leadgate, County Durham Leadgate is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north-east of Consett. The Roman road Dere Street runs straight through the middle of Leadgate, today this is known as Durham Road and the B6309. The place-name 'Lead ...

, he played for Leadgate St Ives and Leadgate United as a youth and served as a bombardier in the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His first professional club was

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

, with whom he had a brief spell with due to breaking both his legs while at

St. James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Park ...

. He became player-manager of Leadgate Park at the age of 24, in 1920. In 1922, he moved to Durham City, scoring five goals in eight matches, attracting the attention of Stockport County. He stayed with County for four seasons, eventually changing positions from an inside forward to a half back. In September 1926, he was sold to

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. Early in his career at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

, he was sent off in a reserve match, which resulted in a two-month suspension. However, he proved to be a trusty stalwart in the defence, and was noted for his enthusiasm and an immense capacity for hard work. He was captain of the side during the 1928–1929 season. He was at Old Trafford for six seasons, having made he made 140 appearances and scoring 3 goals. He was sold to

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

in 1932. He lasted a season with the Robins, before returning to his hometown of Leadgate, unable to find another club. In 1947, he was employed in the licensing trade in Tynemouth.

References

1897 births Year of death missing People from Leadgate, County Durham Footballers from County Durham English men's footballers Men's association football wing halves English Football League players Newcastle United F.C. players Leadgate Park F.C. players Durham City A.F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players British Army personnel of World War I Royal Field Artillery soldiers {{England-footy-defender-1890s-stub