Jack Jones (association footballer born 1874)
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "Jack" Jones (24 October 1874 – 13 September 1904) was an English professional footballer who made 35 appearances in the Football League
playing for Small Heath
.
, Staffordshire
. He played football for local clubs Sandwell Albion, Dudley
and Halesowen before joining Small Heath
, newly promoted to the First Division
of the Football League
, in late 1894. He made his debut on 23 February 1895 in a 2–1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion
, as a replacement for regular outside right
Jack Hallam
. In the 1895–96 season he played more frequently, in his preferred position of inside forward
, and scored six league goals in 14 appearances. The club was relegated
via the test match system, despite Jones's hat-trick
in the last test match, an 8–0 defeat of Manchester City
. The following season he scored nine goals in 20 Second Division
appearances. The strengths of his game were his ability to use both feet with equal skill and his good strike rate, which he was to maintain throughout his career.
Jones left Small Heath in 1897 to join Bristol Eastville Rovers
, then playing in the Western League
, where he stayed for five seasons. For the last three of these, until 1901–02, he was their top goalscorer in Southern League
matches. He holds the club record for most goals scored in one match, with six in the 15–1 defeat of Weymouth
in the qualifying rounds of the 1901 FA Cup
; this remains Rovers' record margin of victory.
In the 1902 close season, Jones moved to fellow Southern League club Tottenham Hotspur
, where he was known as "Bristol Jones" to distinguish him from the club captain, also a Jack Jones
. He played regularly during the first half of the 1902–03 season and all through the following season, making 58 appearances in all competitions and scoring 35 goals. He was Tottenham's leading scorer in the 1903–04 Southern League season with 15 goals.
With the new season about to start, Jones contracted typhoid fever
. He died in London
on 13 September 1904, aged 29.
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...
playing 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...
.
Playing career
Jones was born in West BromwichWest Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked 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. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. He played football for local clubs Sandwell Albion, Dudley
Dudley Town F.C.
Dudley Town F.C. are a football club based in Dudley, West Midlands, England. The club is one of the oldest non-league teams in the Midlands region, having been established in 1888...
and Halesowen before joining 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...
, newly promoted 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....
of 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...
, in late 1894. He made his debut on 23 February 1895 in a 2–1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, as a replacement for regular outside right
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...
Jack Hallam
Jack Hallam
John "Jack" Hallam was a professional footballer who played as an outside right. He was capped at full international level for Wales...
. In the 1895–96 season he played more frequently, in his preferred position of inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
, and scored six league goals in 14 appearances. The club was relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
via the test match system, despite Jones's hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in the last test match, an 8–0 defeat of Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. The following season he scored nine goals in 20 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...
appearances. The strengths of his game were his ability to use both feet with equal skill and his good strike rate, which he was to maintain throughout his career.
Jones left Small Heath in 1897 to join Bristol Eastville 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....
, then playing 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...
, where he stayed for five seasons. For the last three of these, until 1901–02, he was their top goalscorer in 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...
matches. He holds the club record for most goals scored in one match, with six in the 15–1 defeat of Weymouth
Weymouth F.C.
Weymouth F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:Weymouth Football Club were founded in 1890 and played their first game on 24 September of that year...
in the qualifying rounds of the 1901 FA Cup
FA Cup 1900–01
The 1900–01 FA Cup was the 30th season of the world's oldest association football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup . The cup was won by Tottenham Hotspur of the Southern League, who defeated Sheffield United 3–1 in a replay after a 2–2 draw in the first game...
; this remains Rovers' record margin of victory.
In the 1902 close season, Jones moved to fellow Southern League club Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, where he was known as "Bristol Jones" to distinguish him from the club captain, also a Jack Jones
Jack L Jones
Jack Leonard Jones was a Welsh professional footballer who played for clubs which include Grimsby Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and represented Wales on 21 occasions. He was born in Rhuddlan.- Tottenham Hotspur career :...
. He played regularly during the first half of the 1902–03 season and all through the following season, making 58 appearances in all competitions and scoring 35 goals. He was Tottenham's leading scorer in the 1903–04 Southern League season with 15 goals.
With the new season about to start, Jones contracted typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 13 September 1904, aged 29.