William Ronald "Roy" John (29 January 1911 – 12 July 1973) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

international

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

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for Manchester United, Newport County,

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

, Stoke City, Swansea Town and

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

as well as the Wales national team.

Football career

Born in Briton Ferry, John began his career with Briton Ferry Athletic before joining Swansea Town in 1927. At this time he was an outfield player, originally a full-back (where he was "not greatly appreciated") before initially moving forward to play as a half-back, where he gained a reputation as "a resolute tackler with a useful kick". He left Swansea in May 1928, having not played a Football League game for them. He then joined

, where he played for the reserve side as a half-back. Following the departure of Fred Biddlestone to Aston Villa in January 1930 and an injury to the reserve goalkeeper, manager Sid Scholey asked John to try out for the custodian's shirt. John did so well in a practice match that he was quickly promoted to first-team goalkeeper. Within months he made his international debut, when he played 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 ...

against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on 22 April 1931. His debut match ended in a 3–2 victory to the Welsh. One writer of the time described him as "dashing and daring – a gay cavalier who laughs fortune in the face". After 88 league games for Walsall, he was transferred to Stoke City in April 1932, where he was part of the team which won the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

title in 1932–33. The local media described John's performances during that season as "simply brilliant". He struggled though in the First Division and was sold to Preston in the summer of 1934. After six months at Preston North End, John moved to

in December 1934, for a

transfer fee Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

of £1,250. He made 29 League appearances for the Blades, before he was sold to Manchester United in June 1936, for a fee of £600. His debut for the club finished in a 1–1 draw with

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

on 29 August 1936. He transferred to Newport County in March 1937, having made 15 appearances for United. He moved back to Swansea Town four months after joining Newport. In 1938, he helped Swansea reach the final of the

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the mos ...

, where they were defeated by

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

in a replay. He remained at the

Vetch Field The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the club moved to the newly built Liberty Stadium in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 ...

club until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

cut his career short. He officially retired on 11 November 1939, when he became a hotel manager. During the war, John guested for several clubs in the north-west of England, including

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

, and in September 1942 he played for a Wales XI against the

R.A.F. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

International career

John made 14 appearances for Wales in full internationals, helping Wales win the British Home Championship in 1933 and

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

. During his time as the Wales goalkeeper, he alternated with

Bert Gray Albert Gray (23 September 1900 – 16 December 1969) was a Welsh international footballer who played as goalkeeper for various clubs in the 1920s and 1930s, including Oldham Athletic, Manchester City, Tranmere Rovers and Chester. For his coun ...

and Len Evans.

Career statistics

Club

Source:

International

Source:

Honours

; Stoke City *

champions: 1932–33 ; Swansea Town *

finalists: 1938 ;

* British Home Championship: 1933,

References

External links

Profile
at StretfordEnd.co.uk * {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Roy 1911 births 1973 deaths Sportspeople from Briton Ferry Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Men's association football goalkeepers English Football League players Swansea City A.F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Wales men's wartime international footballers Southport F.C. wartime guest players 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Briton Ferry Athletic F.C. players Royal Air Force airmen Military personnel from Neath Port Talbot