John Banks (14 June 1875 – January 1947) 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 ...

who played as a

wing half A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

, Manchester United, Plymouth Argyle,

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

and

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

. He made 159 appearances in

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 ...

. Commonly known as Johnny and Jack, the 1904–05 Plymouth Argyle handbook describes Banks as being "splendid in defence and rarely beaten".

Life and career

Born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, c ...

, Banks could also play 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 ...

when required. He began his career as an amateur with Oldbury Broadwell before joining

club

on professional terms in 1893. He made 119 league appearances during his time with the club and scored five goals. Banks was transferred to Manchester United in 1901 and spent two years at Old Trafford, where he appeared in 40 league matches. In 1903, he signed for Plymouth Argyle of the Southern League. The Argyle handbook of 1904–05 describes him as being "splendid in defence and rarely beaten". After three years with the club, during which time he scored five goals in 82 league and cup games, Banks was released in 1906. He went on to play for

and

. He died in January 1947.

References

External links

Profile at MUFCinfo
{{authority control 1875 births 1947 deaths Footballers from West Bromwich English men's footballers West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Leyton F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Western Football League players Men's association football wing halves