Ernest "Ernie"' Coleman (4 January 1908 – 20 January 1984) was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 footballer.

Born in Blidworth

Blidworth

Blidworth is a small village approximately five miles east of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Its history can be traced back to the 14th century, although many of the current houses were built in the first half of the 20th century to provide housing for workers at Blidworth Colliery .-Robin...

, Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...

, Coleman started his career as a youth playing for Hucknall. After being turned down by Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest F.C.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

 he joined Halifax Town

Halifax Town A.F.C.

Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...

 of the Third Division North

Football League Third Division North

The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...

 in 1927. He scored five times in nineteen appearances, enough to catch the attention of Grimsby Town

Grimsby Town F.C.

Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...

 of the Second Division

Football League Second Division

From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

, joining them in March 1928. In just eight appearances in the 1928-29

1928-29 in English football

The 1928–29 season was the 54th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...

 season he scored seven times, helping Grimsby reach the First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

. Coleman remained at Grimsby for the next three seasons, and was Grimsby's top scorer in 1930-31

1930-31 in English football

The 1930–31 season was the 56th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Of note this season was Manchester United's record of the worst start in a major European league – they lost their first twelve games of the season and went on to be relegated....

 and 1931-32

1931-32 in English football

The 1931–32 season was the 57th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...

, and in March 1932 was signed by Herbert Chapman

Herbert Chapman

Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...

 for £7,500 to join the reigning league champions, Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

; he made 85 league appearances for Grimsby, scoring 57 goals.

Intended as a replacement for Jack Lambert

Jack Lambert (association footballer)

John "Jack" Lambert was an English footballer.A large and robust centre forward from Greasbrough near Rotherham, Yorkshire, Lambert was turned down by Sheffield Wednesday after a trial, so started his career playing for Rotherham County in 1922. He soon made a move to Leeds United, but spent three...

, Coleman made his Arsenal debut in a 2-1 win against Leicester City

Leicester City F.C.

Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 at Highbury

Arsenal Stadium

Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...

 on 5 March 1932 and played a total of six games that season, as Arsenal finished runners-up to Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

. In his first full season at the club, 1932-33

1932-33 in English football

The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...

, Coleman scored 24 times in just 27 league games, including two hat-tricks as Arsenal reclaimed their title, earning Coleman a championship medal. However, his form dropped in 1933-34

1933-34 in English football

The 1933–34 season was the 59th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...

 and he only scored once in 12 league appearances. The signing of Ted Drake

Ted Drake

Edward Joseph "Ted" Drake was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well as five caps for England. He was also a cricketer, but only ever played sparingly...

 in March 1934 meant Coleman was forced out of the Arsenal team, and he signed for Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough F.C.

Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 in August 1934. In total he had played 47 games for Arsenal, scoring 26 goals.

Coleman spent three seasons with Middlesbrough, scoring 21 goals in 85 league appearances, before finishing his career with Norwich City

Norwich City F.C.

Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...

. After the Second World War, he was manager of Linby Colliery

Linby Colliery F.C.

Linby Colliery was a football club from Linby in Nottinghamshire, England.They were formed in 1892 and folded some time after 1981, although another club called Linby Colliery Welfare was subsequently formed....

 and then Notts County

Notts County F.C.

Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...

. He died in 1984, aged 76.