John Lee (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Sebastian Lee was an English
professional footballer who played in the Football League
for Small Heath
. He played as a forward.
Lee was born in Walsall Wood
, then in Staffordshire
. He played local football for Walsall Unity before joining Small Heath
in 1893. Described as "a diminutive sharpshooter", Lee made his debut on the opening day of the 1893–94 Second Division
season, and scored twice in a 3–1 win away at Walsall Town Swifts
. He played in the next six games, scoring once more, but then lost his place to Billy Walton
, whose form – 16 goals from 20 games – meant he retained the inside-right
position for the remainder of the season. Lee dropped back into non-league football
in 1895, preferring to remain in his native West Midlands
rather than join a league side elsewhere.
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...
professional footballer who played in 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...
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...
. He played as a forward.
Lee was born in Walsall Wood
Walsall Wood
Walsall Wood is a settlement located in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, UK, between Aldridge and Brownhills.-History:In the late-18th century and early-19th century, the workers of Walsall Wood were primarily involved in the mining of limestone...
, then in 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 local football for Walsall Unity 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...
in 1893. Described as "a diminutive sharpshooter", Lee made his debut on the opening day of the 1893–94 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...
season, and scored twice in a 3–1 win away at Walsall Town Swifts
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
. He played in the next six games, scoring once more, but then lost his place to 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:...
, whose form – 16 goals from 20 games – meant he retained the inside-right
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...
position for the remainder of the season. Lee dropped back into non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
in 1895, preferring to remain in his native West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
rather than join a league side elsewhere.