Jack Eastham
Encyclopedia
John Bilborough "Jack" Eastham (1883 – 3 May 1932) was an English footballer who spent most of his career with Blackburn Rovers
and then Southampton
playing as a full-back.
in early 1883 and joined his local club, Blackburn Rovers
in the First Division
in March 1900, aged 17. He broke into the first-team during the 1901–02 season and in the following season became a regular at left-back, partnering England
international Bob Crompton
.
In 1903–04, the arrival of Scottish
international Jock Cameron from St. Mirren
restricted Eastham's appearances and he spent the entire 1904–05 season in the reserves.
table.
, who had finished as runners-up in the Southern League
in the 1905–06 season
. He made an anonymous start to his career at The Dell but by the end of the 1906–07 season he had taken over the right-back position from Bill Clarke
, whose career had ended following a serious knee injury. Eastham scored his first goal for the Saints in a 2–1 defeat of Bristol Rovers
in the final match of the season.
In 1907–08, Eastham settled into the right-back role, although he missed two long periods through injury (when the versatile John Robertson
took over) making 22 appearances in all as the "Saints" finished eleventh in the league. In the FA Cup
, Eastham played in all six matches as the Saints made it through to the semi-final, after a replay in round 4, when they defeated the previous season's runners-up Everton
3–2 (including two goals from Frank Costello
). In the semi-final itself, played at Stamford Bridge
on 28 March 1908, the Saints were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers
, with goals from former Southampton players Wally Radford
and George Hedley
.
Eastham was by now becoming "one of the club's finest right-backs during the Southern League era" who was an indispensable member of the side; described as "robust and fearless", he became team captain and provided invaluable guidance to the younger members of the team.
At the start of the 1908–09 season, the Saints reeled off seven consecutive victories before a series of injuries to key players disrupted the side, who eventually finished the season in third place, with Eastham missing only three matches. In the following season, Eastham again missed a long spell from October to December through injury.
In 1910–11, Eastham managed to avoid injury and was one of the few players to show any consistency as the Saints struggled to narrowly avoid relegation. At the start of the 1911–12 season, the club recognised Eastham's worth by granting him a benefit match against Portsmouth
played on 18 September 1911. The Monday night match was poorly attended with Portsmouth playing a team consisting mainly of reserve players, who nonetheless kept the score down to 2–1, with Southampton's goals coming from Hamilton
and McAlpine
.
For the 1911–12 season, Southampton's new manager George Swift recruited eleven new players, but Eastham retained his place at right-back. After his testimonial match, he missed the next eight games with Dan Gordon
and Frank Grayer
filling in for him. Eastham returned to the line-up in mid-November, but by the end of the season he had lost his place to Gordon.
In the summer of 1912, Eastham decided to retire and returned to his home town, settling in the Blackburn area. During his six years with Southampton, he made a total of 175 appearances, scoring four goals.
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and then Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
playing as a full-back.
Blackburn Rovers
Eastham was born in Blackburn, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in early 1883 and joined his local club, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in 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....
in March 1900, aged 17. He broke into the first-team during the 1901–02 season and in the following season became a regular at left-back, partnering England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Bob Crompton
Bob Crompton
Robert "Bob" Crompton was an English professional footballer. He spent the entirety of his career with his hometown club, Blackburn Rovers...
.
In 1903–04, the arrival of Scottish
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international Jock Cameron from St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
restricted Eastham's appearances and he spent the entire 1904–05 season in the reserves.
Glossop
In September 1905, Eastham moved to Glossop where he played in either full-back position, making 26 appearances as the club finished near the foot of the Second DivisionFootball 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...
table.
Southampton
Eastham moved to the south coast in May 1906, when he was persuaded to join SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, who had finished as runners-up in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
in the 1905–06 season
Southern Football League 1905-06
The 1905–06 Southern League season saw Fulham win Division One and Crystal Palace finishing top of Division Two. No clubs were relegated from Division One as it was expanded to 20 clubs the following season...
. He made an anonymous start to his career at The Dell but by the end of the 1906–07 season he had taken over the right-back position from Bill Clarke
Bill Clarke (footballer born 1880)
William Harry "Bill" Clarke was an English professional footballer who played as a full-back for various clubs in the 1900s.-Football career:...
, whose career had ended following a serious knee injury. Eastham scored his first goal for the Saints in a 2–1 defeat of Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
in the final match of the season.
In 1907–08, Eastham settled into the right-back role, although he missed two long periods through injury (when the versatile John Robertson
John Nicol Robertson
John Nicol Robertson was a Scottish professional footballer who played at half-back for various clubs in the early 20th century, spending most of his career with Southampton.-Football career:...
took over) making 22 appearances in all as the "Saints" finished eleventh in the league. In the FA Cup
FA Cup 1907–08
The 1907–08 FA Cup was the 37th staging of the world's oldest association football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup...
, Eastham played in all six matches as the Saints made it through to the semi-final, after a replay in round 4, when they defeated the previous season's runners-up 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...
3–2 (including two goals from Frank Costello
Frank Costello (footballer)
Frederick "Frank" G. Costello was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Southampton and West Ham United prior to the First World War.-Playing career:...
). In the semi-final itself, played at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
on 28 March 1908, the Saints were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, with goals from former Southampton players Wally Radford
Wally Radford
Walter Robert "Wally" Radford was an English footballer, who played as an inside-forward in the 1900s with Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1908.-Football career:...
and George Hedley
George Hedley
George Albert Hedley was a professional footballer who won the 1902 and 1908 FA Cup finals with Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, scoring in both.He was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough....
.
Eastham was by now becoming "one of the club's finest right-backs during the Southern League era" who was an indispensable member of the side; described as "robust and fearless", he became team captain and provided invaluable guidance to the younger members of the team.
At the start of the 1908–09 season, the Saints reeled off seven consecutive victories before a series of injuries to key players disrupted the side, who eventually finished the season in third place, with Eastham missing only three matches. In the following season, Eastham again missed a long spell from October to December through injury.
In 1910–11, Eastham managed to avoid injury and was one of the few players to show any consistency as the Saints struggled to narrowly avoid relegation. At the start of the 1911–12 season, the club recognised Eastham's worth by granting him a benefit match against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
played on 18 September 1911. The Monday night match was poorly attended with Portsmouth playing a team consisting mainly of reserve players, who nonetheless kept the score down to 2–1, with Southampton's goals coming from Hamilton
Henry Hamilton (footballer)
Henry Gilhespy Hamilton was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward for various clubs in the 1900s and 1910s.-Playing career:...
and McAlpine
Jim McAlpine
James Walker McAlpine was a Scottish footballer, who played as a half back for Southampton in the Southern League before playing for Football League clubs Millwall and Gillingham.-Football career:...
.
For the 1911–12 season, Southampton's new manager George Swift recruited eleven new players, but Eastham retained his place at right-back. After his testimonial match, he missed the next eight games with Dan Gordon
Dan Gordon (footballer)
Daniel "Dan" Gordon was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a full-back for various clubs in the early years of the 20th century.-Football career:...
and Frank Grayer
Frank Grayer
Frank Grayer was an English footballer who played as a full-back for Southampton and Liverpool in the period prior to World War I.-Football career:...
filling in for him. Eastham returned to the line-up in mid-November, but by the end of the season he had lost his place to Gordon.
In the summer of 1912, Eastham decided to retire and returned to his home town, settling in the Blackburn area. During his six years with Southampton, he made a total of 175 appearances, scoring four goals.