Harry Johnson (footballer, born 1910)

Harry Johnson (4 December 1910 – 1981) was an English footballer who scored 29 goals from 84 matches in the Football League playing for Oldham Athletic, Southend United and Exeter City. A centre forward or inside right, he also played non-league football for clubs including Great Harwood, Winsford United, Stalybridge Celtic and Scunthorpe & Lindsey United.[1]

Harry Johnson
Personal information
Full name Harry Johnson[1]
Date of birth (1910-12-04)4 December 1910[1]
Place of birth Radcliffe, Lancashire, England
Date of death 1981 (aged 70–71)
Place of death Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
Height 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre forward, inside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Heywood St James'
– Great Harwood
– Winsford United
– Stalybridge Celtic
1931–1934 Oldham Athletic 37 (13)
1934–1936 Southend United 36 (15)
1936–1937 Exeter City 11 (1)
1937–194? Scunthorpe & Lindsey United (87)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Personal life

Johnson was born in Radcliffe, which was then in Lancashire, in 1910.[1] He married Lena Hardman in 1932;[3] the 1939 Register records the couple living in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, where Johnson was working as an electrician's labourer.[4] In 1965, he was the works suggestions officer at the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company and was chairman of their cricket club.[5] He died in Scunthorpe in 1981.[1][6]

Football career

Johnson played football for Heywood St James', for Great Harwood of the Lancashire Combination, and for Cheshire County League clubs Winsford United and Stalybridge Celtic, before signing for Oldham Athletic of the Football League Second Division. He made his league debut in the 1931–32 season, and over the next two seasons took his totals to 13 goals from 37 league appearances.[1] After Oldham were relegated in 1934, Johnson was one of eleven players given free transfers.[7] He joined Southend United, and in his first season was the club's top scorer with 22 goals in all competitions.[8] In 1936, he moved on to another third-tier club, Exeter City,[9] for whom he played 11 league matches.[1]

Scunthorpe & Lindsey United of the Midland League signed Johnson in 1937. According to the Lincolnshire Echo, "he can play in any inside forward position, but is at his best at centre-forward".[2] He scored profusely, finishing the season second in the Midland League's scorers table with 38 goals.[10] Despite interest from Football League clubs, he re-signed for Scunthorpe for another season.[10] By February 1939, he had overtaken Ernie Simms' club record of 57 goals scored in all competitions during a single season,[11] and seemed sure to break his club record of 52 Midland League goals as well, as Scunthorpe headed for their second league title. Unfortunately for him, he sustained a knee injury in mid-March that kept him out for several matches, and had to settle for 49.[12]

He remained with Scunthorpe into wartime football, but his leg again gave way, and in October 1939 he had an operation to remove the knee cartilage.[13] Once fit again, he also played as a guest for Doncaster Rovers.[14] After the war, Johnson coached Scunthorpe's junior teams.[15]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. Chiel (24 July 1937). "Heard and noted. Scunthorpe's signature". Lincolnshire Echo. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "England & Wales marriages 1837–2008 Transcription". Harry Johnson. Marriage quarter: 4. Marriage year: 1932. Spouse's last name: Hardman. District: Bury. County: Lancashire. Volume: 8C. Page: 893. Retrieved 24 May 2016 – via Findmypast.
  4. "Harry Johnson on the 1939 Register". Retrieved 24 May 2016 – via Findmypast.
  5. "Drum draw threat left club asking for a loan". Hull Daily Mail. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  6. "England & Wales deaths 1837–2007 Transcription". Harry Johnson. Birth date: 4 Dec 1910. Death quarter: 4. Death year: 1981. District: Scunthorpe. County: Lincolnshire. Volume: 7. Page: 1140. Retrieved 24 May 2016 – via Findmypast.
  7. "Oldham Athletic. Club announce their retained list". Daily Mail. Hull. 27 April 1934. p. 21 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "League + Cup Results 1934–935". Southend United Football Club database. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  9. "Exeter City's team. Three new players engaged". Western Morning News. Plymouth, Exeter & Truro. 19 June 1936. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Johnson re-signs for Scunthorpe". Daily Mail. Hull. 27 May 1938. p. 22 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. Pilot (18 February 1939). "Midland League clubs. Reasons for the rise of Scunthorpe. Johnson's record for Scunthorpe". The Star Green 'Un. Sheffield. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Filbert (5 April 1939). "Scunthorpe United begin team-building in good time". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive. At the moment, [Johnson] is the leading scorer in the Midland League, with 44 goals ... As far as Scunthorpe is concerned, he has still one record to break, and that is to beat the Midland League scoring record for the club set up by Ernest Simms, who scored 52 goals for the United in one season. Johnson has, of course, been out of the team for the last few weeks, but he still has time, if he recovers from his injury, to break that record.
    Argus (6 May 1939). "With Boston United. Leading scorers". Lincolnshire Standard. p. 18 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. Filbert (18 October 1939). "Nuts' centre forward in hospital". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Johnson to play again". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 20 December 1939. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Sporting notes in brief. Rovers' team for Barnsley". Yorkshire Post. Leeds. 31 August 1940. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Sports gossip. Murphy's goals". Daily Mail. Hull. 30 September 1948. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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