Tom Brittleton
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Brittleton (23 April 1882 – 22 February 1955) was a professional footballer. He was one of the pioneers of the long throw-in
. With a career spanning over 30 years, including 24 seasons in the Football League, he is the oldest person to play for Sheffield Wednesday
in a competitive game.
, Cheshire
on St George's Day
1882. He started his football career by playing for Winsford Juniors at the age of 10. Whilst at his next junior club, Winsford Celtic, he played in every position including goalkeeper.
After leaving school at the age of 14, Brittleton signed for the town's senior side, Winsford United
. He went on to play many County League games and earned several winners medals in the Cheshire Amateur Cup, appearing in three district finals in one season.
Whilst at United, a Stockport County
fan, who was visiting his girlfriend in Winsford, watched Brittleton play a match and informed the Stockport management of his skills. Shortly afterwards he signed amateur forms with County at the age of nineteen. He continued his job at the Winsford Salt Works, and even, on one occasion, missed a Stockport game that he was due to play in so that he could instead play for Winsford in a Cheshire Amateur Cup game. Despite his apparent lack of commitment to County he eventually signed professional forms with the club and hence started his Football League career.
club, and after County had played a game at Ashton
in December 1904, the referee sent a report to Sheffield Wednesday
recommending the player. Wednesday immediately sent a £200 bid to Stockport which was rejected. Undeterred, the Owls improved their offer to a club record fee of £300, and Brittleton signed for the Yorkshire
club on 6 January 1905.
. During his early time at The Owlerton Stadium
, Brittleton played in most of the outfield positions before becoming established as a wing-half and a long-term replacement for Harry Ruddlesdin
.
Brittleton played in all of Sheffield Wednesday's matches in the 1907 FA Cup
, culminating in the club's 2–1 victory against Everton
in the final
at Crystal Palace
.
In 1911, Brittleton was invited to represent the Football Association for a summer tour of South Africa
. However, the player, once described as "the biggest home bird you could ever meet", declined, preferring instead to spend the off-season fishing.
Brittleton made his international debut on 10 February 1912 at the age of 29 in a match against Ireland which England
won 6–1. He won four more international caps, and did not lose a game that he played for his country.
In 1919, Wednesday allowed Brittleton to move back to Winsford
, although he continued to play for the club. He went on to make a total of 373 appearances for the Owls in all competitions, scoring 33 goals in the process. His last match for Sheffield Wednesday was against Oldham Athletic on 1 May 1920; aged 38 years and 8 days, Brittleton became the oldest man to play for the Owls. After more than 15 years with the club he was rewarded with a free transfer.
Winsford United
, Brittleton moved to Second Division
Stoke
. Brittleton family folklore has it that he actually signed for Winsford before moving almost immediately to Stoke and that the Cheshire
club received a small transfer as part of the deal, however no records have been found to back up the claim. He played a further 114 games for the Potters, scoring five goals before retiring from professional football in 1925.
. When he finally stopped playing, he became the landlord of the town's Navigation Inn.
(b. 1885), was also a professional footballer with Stockport County
, Preston North End
and Southampton
.
His son, John (1906–1982), played for Aston Villa
for three seasons in the 1920s.
Throw-in
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of Association football.-Procedure:The throw-in is taken from the point where the ball crossed the touch-line. The throw-in is taken by the opponents of the player who last touched the ball when it crossed the touch-line, either on the ground or...
. With a career spanning over 30 years, including 24 seasons in the Football League, he is the oldest person to play for Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in a competitive game.
Early years
Brittleton was born in WinsfordWinsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
on St George's Day
St George's Day
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in AD 303...
1882. He started his football career by playing for Winsford Juniors at the age of 10. Whilst at his next junior club, Winsford Celtic, he played in every position including goalkeeper.
After leaving school at the age of 14, Brittleton signed for the town's senior side, Winsford United
Winsford United F.C.
Winsford United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1883 and is nicknamed The Blues...
. He went on to play many County League games and earned several winners medals in the Cheshire Amateur Cup, appearing in three district finals in one season.
Whilst at United, a Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
fan, who was visiting his girlfriend in Winsford, watched Brittleton play a match and informed the Stockport management of his skills. Shortly afterwards he signed amateur forms with County at the age of nineteen. He continued his job at the Winsford Salt Works, and even, on one occasion, missed a Stockport game that he was due to play in so that he could instead play for Winsford in a Cheshire Amateur Cup game. Despite his apparent lack of commitment to County he eventually signed professional forms with the club and hence started his Football League career.
Stockport County
Brittleton began his league career with Stockport County in 1902 as an inside forward. He went on to score ten goals in forty-five appearances for the 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...
club, and after County had played a game at Ashton
Ashton United F.C.
Ashton United Football Club is an English football club, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.-History:The club was originally founded in 1878 as Hurst F.C. and the earliest known match report dates back to March 1879. By 1880 the club were playing at Hurst Cross, their current ground....
in December 1904, the referee sent a report to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
recommending the player. Wednesday immediately sent a £200 bid to Stockport which was rejected. Undeterred, the Owls improved their offer to a club record fee of £300, and Brittleton signed for the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
club on 6 January 1905.
Sheffield Wednesday
Brittleton made his debut for Wednesday on 14 January 1905, playing in the inside right position in place of Harry ChapmanHarry Chapman (baseball)
Harry E. Chapman was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Terriers, and St. Louis Browns, primarily as a catcher...
. During his early time at The Owlerton Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
, Brittleton played in most of the outfield positions before becoming established as a wing-half and a long-term replacement for Harry Ruddlesdin
Harry Ruddlesdin
Herod "Harry" Ruddlesdin was an English footballer, who played most of his career with The Wednesday, helping them claim the Football League Second Division title in 1900, followed by the Football League championship in 1903 and 1904...
.
Brittleton played in all of Sheffield Wednesday's matches in the 1907 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, culminating in the club's 2–1 victory against 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 the final
1907 FA Cup Final
The 1907 FA Cup Final was contested by The Wednesday and Everton at Crystal Palace. Sheffield Wednesday won 2–1, with goals by Jimmy Stewart and George Simpson....
at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
.
In 1911, Brittleton was invited to represent the Football Association for a summer tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. However, the player, once described as "the biggest home bird you could ever meet", declined, preferring instead to spend the off-season fishing.
Brittleton made his international debut on 10 February 1912 at the age of 29 in a match against Ireland which 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...
won 6–1. He won four more international caps, and did not lose a game that he played for his country.
In 1919, Wednesday allowed Brittleton to move back to Winsford
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
, although he continued to play for the club. He went on to make a total of 373 appearances for the Owls in all competitions, scoring 33 goals in the process. His last match for Sheffield Wednesday was against Oldham Athletic on 1 May 1920; aged 38 years and 8 days, Brittleton became the oldest man to play for the Owls. After more than 15 years with the club he was rewarded with a free transfer.
Stoke
After looking set to re-join non-leagueNon-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...
Winsford United
Winsford United F.C.
Winsford United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1883 and is nicknamed The Blues...
, Brittleton moved to 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...
Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. Brittleton family folklore has it that he actually signed for Winsford before moving almost immediately to Stoke and that the Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
club received a small transfer as part of the deal, however no records have been found to back up the claim. He played a further 114 games for the Potters, scoring five goals before retiring from professional football in 1925.
Return to Winsford
After retiring from League football Brittleton returned to his hometown to take up the position of player-manager at Winsford United whilst also working for ICIImperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
. When he finally stopped playing, he became the landlord of the town's Navigation Inn.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stockport County Stockport County F.C. Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport... |
1902–03 | | | |||||
| 1903–04 | | | ||||||
| 1904–05 | | | ||||||
| Total | 45 | 10 | 45 | 10 | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
1904–05 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
| 1905–06 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| 1906–07 | 31 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1907–08 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 6 | |
| 1908–09 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 5 | |
| 1909–10 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 6 | |
| 1910–11 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 1911–12 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| 1912–13 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 1 | |
| 1913–14 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 2 | |
| 1914–15 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 1919–20 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| Total | 343 | 30 | 30 | 3 | 373 | 33 | |
| Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
1920–21 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 4 |
| 1921–22 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 1922–23 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| 1923–24 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1924–25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 114 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 123 | 4 | |
| Career Total | 502 | 45 | 39 | 3 | 541 | 48 | |
Family
His younger brother, SamSam Brittleton
Samuel "Sam" Brittleton was an English footballer who played at inside-left for various clubs in the 1900s. He was the brother of England international Tom Brittleton.-Football career:...
(b. 1885), was also a professional footballer with Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
, Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and 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...
.
His son, John (1906–1982), played for Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
for three seasons in the 1920s.