John Martin (1882 – after 1911) was an English professional footballer who scored 55 goals from 122 appearances in the Football League playing as a centre forward for Lincoln City and Blackburn Rovers.[2] He also played Southern League football for Brighton & Hove Albion and Millwall Athletic and in the North-Eastern League for Hartlepools United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Martin | ||
| Date of birth | 1882 | ||
| Place of birth | South Shields, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Tyne Dock N.E.R. | |||
| Kingston Villa | |||
| South Shields | |||
| 1904–1906 | Lincoln City | 65 | (30) |
| 1906–1908 | Blackburn Rovers | 57 | (25) |
| 1908–1909 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 37 | (18) |
| 1909–1911 | Millwall Athletic | 70 | (24) |
| 1911–1912 | Hartlepools United | 17 | (8) |
| New Seaham Gymnasium | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Life and career
editMartin was born in 1882 in South Shields, County Durham.[2] He played football for Tyne Dock N.E.R., from which he joined Wearside League club Kingston Villa ahead of the 1902–03 season.[3] He spent two seasons with the club,[4] and was selected for a Wearside League representative team in 1904,[5] before moving into the Football League with Lincoln City.[4]
He made his debut on 3 September 1904 in a 2–0 win away to Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division. In the following season, Martin was the club's leading scorer, with 20 goals from League and FA Cup games.[6] This earned him a transfer to the First Division with Blackburn Rovers. In his first season, he was Blackburn's leading scorer with 17 League goals from 36 games: at 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) in height and not lightly built, he used his physical strengths well. In his second, he faced competition for the centre-forward position, and a poorer goal return left the player reportedly unhappy with both himself and the club.[1][7]
He spent the 1908–09 season with Brighton & Hove Albion, where he scored 18 goals from 37 Southern League appearances. He then played for Millwall Athletic, where he led the Lions in scoring in the 1909–10 and 1910–11 seasons,[8] with 12 goals from 39 and 31 matches respectively,[1] before returning to the north-east to spend the 1911–12 season with Hartlepools United of the North Eastern League.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c Jackman, Mike (1994). Blackburn Rovers: the official encyclopaedia. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-873626-70-2.
- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- ^ "Football. Association". Shields Daily Gazette. 5 September 1902. p. 3.
- ^ a b "Football. Kingston Villa man for Lincoln City". Shields Daily Gazette. 19 April 1904. p. 3.
- ^ "Football. To-morrow's matches". Shields Daily Gazette. 22 April 1904. p. 3.
- ^ "John Martin". The Lincoln City FC Archive. Lincoln City F.C. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ "1906/07 & 1907 season". International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
- ^ "Jack Martin". In the Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Retrieved 2 December 2020.