Kenneth Johnson (15 February 1931 – 29 December 2011) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 inside forward in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

in the 1950s and 1960s, spending his whole senior career with

Hartlepools United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Har ...

.Football League Career Stats at Neil Brown
/ref> He was born in

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

and joined Hartlepools United from local team Seaton Holy Trinity. He made his Pools debut on 31 December 1949 against

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

and went on to play 413 matches for the club, with his final appearance coming against Newport County on 6 April 1964.Stats and profile at inthemadcrowd.co.uk, including appearances by season
He is fourth on the all-time list for most Hartlepool appearances, and the club's highest all-time Hartlepool goalscorer, having scored 106 in all competitions. His goals tally includes six scored in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, one of which was against

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 ...

on 5 January in the 1956-57 tournament, a day which saw Hartlepools record ever attendance of 17,264. In 1956 he was chosen to play for the

Football League Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated In sports leagues, promotion and ...

select team for the match against Division Three South, along with his teammates George Luke and Watty Moore. Johnson died on 29 December 2011.

References

1931 births 2011 deaths Footballers from Hartlepool English footballers Men's association football inside forwards English Football League players Hartlepool United F.C. players {{England-footy-forward-1930s-stub