Samuel Brittleton (17 June 1885 – 4 October 1951) 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 at

inside-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 ...

for various clubs in the 1900s. He was the brother of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

international Tom Brittleton.

Football career

Brittleton was born in

Winsford Winsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich. It grew around the salt mining industr ...

, Cheshire and started his professional career at

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...

in August 1905, a few months after his brother had left County to join

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

. After three years with Stockport County, without breaking into the first team, he moved to Preston in February 1908 followed by a further move in the summer of 1908 to join Chorley of the

Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...

. At Chorley, Brittleton began to establish a reputation as a useful

inside-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 ...

and attracted the attention of several Football League clubs. In the summer of 1909, he had agreed to join Manchester City, who had just been relegated from the Football League First Division with the two clubs arguing over the size of the

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 ...

. Before a deal could be completed, he was signed by

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 ...

of the Southern League. He made his debut for the "Saints" in a 1–1 draw at

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

on 25 September 1909, when he replaced

Frank Jordan Francis Michael Jordan (born February 20, 1935) is an American politician and former police chief, who served as mayor of San Francisco from 1992 to 1996. He is a Democrat. Early life and education Jordan was born in San Francisco in 1935 and ...

. Described as "''sometimes brilliant, sometimes hopeless''", Brittleton lost his place in the side after a run of nine matches, with Bob Carter replacing him. In March, after an injury to John Bainbridge, Carter moved to

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 ...

with Brittleton being recalled at inside-left. He marked his recall by scoring in a 1–1 draw at

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

followed by another goal a week later against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. In the summer of 1909, Brittleton decide to return to North West England although Southampton retained his registration. He was released a year later and rejoined his former club, Chorley before spending a year at

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brittleton, Sam 1885 births 1951 deaths People from Winsford English footballers Association football forwards Stockport County F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Chorley F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891) players Southern Football League players English Football League players Sportspeople from Cheshire