Jack Hallam
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Hallam was a professional footballer who played as an outside right
. He was cap
ped at full international level for Wales
. He played 133 games for Small Heath
in the Football Alliance
and the Football League
, and also represented Oswestry Town
, Swindon Town
and Trowbridge Town
.
, Shropshire
, on the border with Wales
, Hallam started his football career with clubs in his native town. While with Oswestry Town
he won international honours for Wales
on 23 February 1889 in a 4–1 defeat to England
. A report of the match said that Hallam "showed great speed but was evidently nervous and hesitated too much".
In 1890 he moved to Small Heath
, then playing in the Football Alliance, and made more than 150 appearances for the club in all competitions. The strength of Hallam's game lay in his speed, and he formed fine partnerships on the right side with both Charlie Short
and Billy Walton
. In Small Heath's first Football League season, they won the inaugural Second Division
championship; Hallam contributed 17 goals, and was only outscored by future England international Fred Wheldon. He also helped them to runners-up spot and promotion to the First Division
the following year and played a further 18 months in the top flight.
He then moved to Swindon Town
, where he played for one season in the Southern League
, followed by a season with Trowbridge Town
in the Western League
, then returning to Swindon for a final season in their Western League team. After football he worked for the Great Western Railway
, based at Swindon
, Wiltshire
, and died in the town in 1949 aged about 80.
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...
. He was cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
ped at full international level for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. He played 133 games for Small Heath
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in the Football Alliance
Football Alliance
The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.It was formed by 12 clubs as a rival to the Football League, which had begun in the 1888–89 season, also with 12 member clubs...
and the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, and also represented Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
, Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
and Trowbridge Town
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:...
.
Career
Born in OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, on the border with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Hallam started his football career with clubs in his native town. While with Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
he won international honours for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
on 23 February 1889 in a 4–1 defeat to 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...
. A report of the match said that Hallam "showed great speed but was evidently nervous and hesitated too much".
In 1890 he moved to Small Heath
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, then playing in the Football Alliance, and made more than 150 appearances for the club in all competitions. The strength of Hallam's game lay in his speed, and he formed fine partnerships on the right side with both Charlie Short
Charlie Short
Charles "Charlie" Short was an English professional footballer who played in the Football Alliance for Small Heath. He played as a forward....
and Billy Walton
Billy Walton
William Howard T. "Billy" Walton was an English footballer who played for Small Heath for fourteen years. He made 232 appearances and scored 70 goals in all competitions.-Biography:...
. In Small Heath's first Football League season, they won the inaugural 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...
championship; Hallam contributed 17 goals, and was only outscored by future England international Fred Wheldon. He also helped them to runners-up spot and promotion to 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....
the following year and played a further 18 months in the top flight.
He then moved to Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, where he played for one season 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...
, followed by a season with Trowbridge Town
Trowbridge Town F.C.
Trowbridge Town F.C. are a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, and they play at Woodmarsh on the southern edge of the town. They are currently members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West.-History:...
in the Western League
Western Football League
The Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and parts of South Wales...
, then returning to Swindon for a final season in their Western League team. After football he worked for the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, based at Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and died in the town in 1949 aged about 80.