John Joseph Blake (1882 – 23 February 1931) 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 an

outside-forward 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 ...

for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the early part of the twentieth century.

Football career

Blake was born in

Belchamp Walter Belchamp Walter is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located approximately west of Sudbury, Suffolk and is 35 km (22 miles) north-northeast from the county town of Chelmsford. It is near Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otte ...

, near

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

and played his youth football with the Church of England Young Men's Society before moving to London to train as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

. Whilst in London he played as an amateur for Ilford and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

(in their Western League side). He then took up employment in

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

and turned out for the local team, from where he was invited to make the occasional guest appearance for

reserves in 1905. Following a move to the Thornycroft shipyard in

Woolston Woolston may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Woolston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish in Warrington * Woolston, Devon, on the list of United Kingdom locations: Woof-Wy near Kingsbridge, Devon * Woolston, Southampton, a city suburb in Ham ...

he was able to play for the "Saints" on a more regular basis, and on 6 October 1906, he was called into the first-team for a Southern League match against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

. Playing at

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 ...

, Blake scored in a 5–1 victory, but that was his only appearance that season, during which manager

Ernest Arnfield Ernest Arnfield (25 December 1853 – 8 August 1945) was an English football manager who was secretary/manager of Southampton F.C. from 1897 to 1911, and again from 1912 to 1919. Arnfield was born in Mellor, Derbyshire. He died in Southampton, a ...

tried nine different players on the right-wing. Blake's next appearances came in March/April 1908, when he played three matches at

outside-left 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 ...

in place of

Bert Hodgkinson Albert Victor Hodgkinson (10 August 1884 – 25 November 1939) was a Welsh footballer who played as an outside-forward for various clubs in the 1900s, including making one appearance for the Wales national football team in 1908. Football ca ...

. Equally at home on either wing, Blake was awarded a professional contract in 1908, from when on his appearances were more frequent. In the 1908–09 season, he made twelve appearances, either as cover for Hodgkinson on the right or John Bainbridge on the left, including twice as

inside-left Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

, when he replaced

Sam Shearer Samuel Shearer (born 29 December 1883) was a Scottish footballer who played at inside-forward for Southampton and Bradford Park Avenue in the early 20th century. Football career Shearer was born in Coylton in South Ayrshire and started his fo ...

. In September 1909, he took over the

berth from Bob Carter and became established on the left, making 23 appearances in 1909–10 and missing only five in the 1910–11 season. Being a "''fleet footed''" winger who "''could dribble the ball''", Blake's skill and ability to "''centre the ball with pin-point exactness''" "''posed many problems to opponents''". Following the arrival of George Handley in the summer of 1911, Blake missed most of the 1911–12 season, making only thirteen appearances, whilst in 1912–13

Len Andrews Leonard Thomas Alford Andrews (9 December 1888 – 21 January 1969) was an English professional Association Football, footballer who played as an Striker (association football), inside forward. During his career he had two spells with both Sout ...

was preferred by new trainer

Jimmy McIntyre James Alfred McIntyre (31 October 1881 – 1954) was an English footballer who became manager at Southampton, Coventry City and Fulham. Playing career McIntyre was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire. He was a journeyman player of some repute, ...

, before Blake was recalled in January, with Andrews switching to the right. At the start of the 1913–14 season, Andrews reverted to outside-left and it was not until October that Blake was recalled, initially replacing

Tom Binder Thomas Edwin Binder (26 January 1889 – 23 August 1969) was an English professional footballer who played as an outside forward for Southampton in the 1910s. Football career Binder was born in Weldon, Northamptonshire and started his footbal ...

on the right wing for four matches before moving over to the left, with Andrews at

and

Sid Kimpton Gabriel Sibley "Sid" Kimpton, also known as George Kimpton, (12 August 1887 – 15 February 1968) was an English football player, who spent his entire playing career with Southampton and subsequently became a manager in Europe. Playing career K ...

on the right. Blake retained his place for the rest of the season, but again lost out to Andrews in 1914–15, when he managed only twelve appearances. During

World War I 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 ...

, Blake's services were required in the Thornycroft shipyard although he did manage 32 appearances in wartime leagues in the early part of the war. Following the resumption of league football after the cessation of hostilities, Blake made one further appearance, on 1 November 1919 in a 3–0 defeat at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...

. Having made a total of 154 appearances for the first-team, Blake retired in the summer of 1920 and took up full-time employment with Thornycroft.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Joseph 1882 births 1931 deaths People from Sudbury, Suffolk English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Southern Football League players Ilford F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Cowes Sports F.C. players Thornycrofts (Woolston) F.C. players Footballers from Suffolk