James Harry Chatton (23 April 1899 – 1983), was an Irish

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 for several clubs in the

Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...

, the American Soccer League and the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...

. Chatton was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the IFA XI and the FAI XI.

Club career

Chatton was born in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...

, Ireland but moved to

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

in Scotland with his family during his childhood. After playing with

and Partick Thistle in the

, he joined

Indiana Flooring Indiana Flooring were a New York City soccer team that played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1927. They replaced New York Field Club. Before joining the ASL, the team had played in various state leagues. Ernest Viberg, a former ...

of the American Soccer League in 1926. At the end of the 1926–27 season, he and teammate Alec Donald broke their contracts with Flooring and returned to Scotland to sign with Hearts. The ASL, through the

United States Football Association The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

, immediately contested Chatton's contract with Hearts resulting in FIFA voiding the contract. As a result, Chatton returned to Flooring, now known as the New York Nationals. Chatton subsequently helped the Nationals win the

1928 National Challenge Cup The 1928 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Eastern Division Western Division Final References {{1927–28 in American soccer U.S ...

, beating Chicago's

Bricklayers and Masons F.C. Bricklayers and Masons F.C., also known as Chicago Bricklayers, was a U.S. soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois which joined that city's Association Football League in 1914. Over the next twenty years, Bricklayers won two Peel Cups and was the ...

4–1 on aggregate in the final. In 1929, the Nationals also won the Lewis Cup, the ASL league cup, defeating the

New Bedford Whalers New Bedford Whalers was the name of three American soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League ...

over three games. That January, Hearts again attempted to induce Chatton to move to Scotland, but he declined and played one more season in the ASL. On 25 May 1930 at the Polo Grounds, Chatton played for the Nationals in a friendly against Rangers, the reigning Scottish champions. Nationals lost this game 5–4. Among Chatton's teammates at the Nationals were Jimmy Douglas,

Jimmy Gallagher James J. Gallagher (June 7, 1901 – October 7, 1971) was a Scottish American soccer right wing midfielder who spent eleven seasons in the American Soccer League. He was a member of the U.S. soccer teams at the 1930 FIFA World Cup and 1934 F ...

Bart McGhee Bartholomew "Bertie" or "Bart" McGhee (April 30, 1899 – January 26, 1979) was an American soccer forward who typically played left wing forward. He played for the United States men's national soccer team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, and scored ...

and

Robert Millar Philippa York (born Robert Millar on 13 September 1958) is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist. York, who competed when known as Robert Millar, is one of Britain's most successful cyclists. York won the "King of t ...

. The former three all played for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

at the 1930 World Cup while Millar was the team coach. After four years in the ASL, Chatton returned to Ireland and joined Shelbourne, helping them win the

title in 1931. He then had two further seasons with

before joining Cork F.C., who he helped win the FAI Cup in 1934.

Irish international

During the years Chatton played international football, there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

– based

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Ac ...

and the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

– based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Chatton, played for both teams.

IFA XI

Between 1924 and 1925, while playing for Partick Thistle, Chatton played 3 times for the IFA XI. He made his international debut on 22 October 1924 against

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 ...

in 3–1 defeat at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...

. He won his second cap for the IFA, against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

in 3–0 defeat on 28 February 1925 at

Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual renta ...

. He made his final appearance for the IFA XI in a 0–0 draw with England on 24 October 1925, again at Windsor Park. His teammates while playing for the IFA XI included, among others,

Tom Farquharson Thomas Gerard Farquharson (4 December 1899 – 24 December 1970) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Dublin, he played youth football for local sides. In his teens, he became a member of the Irish Republica ...

, Mick O'Brien, Bill Lacey,

Elisha Scott Elisha Scott (24 August 1893 – 16 May 1959) was a Northern Irish football goalkeeper who played for Liverpool from 1912 to 1934, and still holds the record as their longest-serving player. Life and playing career Elisha Scott played for Lin ...

and

Billy Gillespie William Ballintrae Gillespie (6 August 1891 – 2 July 1981) was an Irish football player who played as a striker for Sheffield United over a twenty-year period from 1913 to 1932, scoring over 137 League and Cup goals in 492 games for the Sout ...

FAI XI

Between 1931 and 1934 Chatton also played 3 times for the FAI XI. He won each of his three FAI caps while playing for three different clubs – Shelbourne, Shelbourne internationals
/ref>

and Cork F.C. Chatton made his debut for the FAI XI against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on 26 April 1931. He helped a team that also included

, Peter Kavanagh and

Paddy Moore Paddy Moore (4 August 1909 – 24 July 1951) was an Irish professional footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers and Aberdeen. Moore was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. ...

, gain a respectable 1–1 draw at the Montjuic Stadium in Barcelona. On 13 December 1931 at

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

he then captained the FAI XI in the return game against Spain; this time, however, his team lost 5–0. He made his third and final appearance for the FAI XI against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 8 April 1934 in a World Cup qualifier which ended in a 5–2 defeat.

Honours

New York Nationals * National Challenge Cup **''Winners''

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

: 1 *Lewis Cup **''Winners'' 1929: 1 Shelbourne *

**''Winners'' 1930–31: 1 Dumbarton *

Dumbartonshire Cup The Dumbartonshire Cup was the championship trophy of the Dumbartonshire FA from its inception in 1884 until the organization disbanded in 1938. There was however an 'extra' playing of the competition in 1939, immediately after the outbreak of the ...

**''Winners'' 1931–32;1932-33: 2 Cork F.C. * FAI Cup **''Winners'' 1933–34: 1

References

External links

Northern Ireland’s Footballing Greats Irish Free State
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatton, Harry 1899 births 1983 deaths People from Enniskillen Irish association footballers (before 1923) Irish Free State international footballers Dual Irish international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers from Northern Ireland Dumbarton F.C. players Partick Thistle F.C. players Indiana Flooring players New York Nationals (ASL) players American Soccer League (1921–1933) players Shelbourne F.C. players Cork F.C. players League of Ireland players Date of death missing Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Scottish Football League players Pre-1950 IFA international footballers Association football wing halves Expatriate association footballers from Northern Ireland Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C. players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Association footballers from Northern Ireland Expatriate sportspeople from Northern Ireland in the United States Sportspeople from County Fermanagh Scottish Junior Football Association players Sportspeople from Dumbarton Footballers from West Dunbartonshire