Jack Leslie (English footballer)

John Francis Leslie (17 August 1901 – 25 November 1988)[1] was an English professional footballer who played as an Inside left.

Jack Leslie
Leslie in 1921
Personal information
Full name John Francis Leslie[1]
Date of birth (1901-08-17)17 August 1901
Place of birth Canning Town, England
Date of death 1988 (aged 86–87)
Position(s) Inside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Barking Town
1921–1935 Plymouth Argyle 384 (133)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Leslie was the only black professional player in England during his time with Plymouth Argyle. Leslie enjoyed a 14-season spell with Argyle, having joined the club from Barking Town in 1921. A creator and scorer of goals, his partnership with outside left Sammy Black has gone down in history as one of the very best.[2] Leslie played alongside Black 327 times, with the duo scoring 319 goals between them in all competitions, with Leslie contributing 137 of them. In 1930, The Football Herald described him as "known throughout England for his skill and complexion."[2]

Life and career

Leslie was born in Canning Town, London, to a Jamaican father also called John Francis Leslie, a gas fitter labourer in London, and an English mother, Annie Leslie, a seamstress.

He played for local team, Barking Town scoring more than 250 goals and helping them win the Essex Senior Cup in 1920 and London League Premier Division title in 1921.[3] Also in 1921 he joined Plymouth Argyle. Predominantly a centre-forward or an inside-left, Leslie was described as being versatile and able to provide cover wherever needed.[4]

It took until his eleventh appearance for Argyle for him to get his first goal, in a 2–0 win against Gillingham in 1923.[5]

Across a total of fourteen seasons at Argyle he scored 133 league goals in 384 games, making him Argyle's ninth record highest appearance maker, and fourth highest goal scorer.

England call-up

Leslie was called up to the national team in 1925; his manager, Bob Jack, told him he had been selected to play for England against Ireland. However, the invitation to play for his country was withdrawn. It has been speculated that this was because of belated objections to his colour by members of the FA who had been unaware of his ethnicity.[6] Later in life, Leslie told the journalist Brian Woolnough: "They must have forgot I was a coloured boy."[7]

Leslie was never picked for England again. As a consequence, it was not until 1978 that Viv Anderson became the first black player to appear in an England shirt.[8]

Retirement

He retired from professional football in 1935, playing his last game, and scoring his last goal, on 29 December 1934 in a 3–1 win against Fulham.[9]

He later worked as a member of the backroom staff of his local club, West Ham United, as the boot-boy.[10] He was offered the job by West Ham manager, Ron Greenwood who recognised Leslie as a great player. During his time at West Ham Leslie cleaned the boots of World Cup winners, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters and of England international Trevor Brooking and Clyde Best who at the time was one of only a very small number of black players in the top flight of English football.[11] He died in 1988.

Legacy

In December 2019, the boardroom at the newly redeveloped Mayflower Grandstand at Plymouth Argyle's ground Home Park was named in Leslie's honour.[12][13]

In early 2020 The Jack Leslie Campaign was set up, with the aim of building a statue of Leslie outside Home Park.[14][15] Crowd-funding for the project began on 1 July 2020.[16] The target amount of £100,000 was reached in August 2020.[17]

On 18 June 2020, following the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom and a petition signed by over 500 people, it was reported that Plymouth City Council had proposed to rename Sir John Hawkins Square in the City Centre to the 'Jack Leslie Square'.[18][19]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Plymouth Argyle 1921–22 Third 900090
1922–23 Third 631073
1923–24 Third 17500175
1924–25 Third 4014104114
1925–26 Third 4017104117
1926–27 Third 3314103414
1927–28 Third 4115104215
1928–29 Third 4121414522
1929–30 Third 32841369
1930–31 Second 39910409
1931–32 Second 4120214321
1932–33 Second 33411345
1933–34 Second 11200112
1934–35 Second 110011
Career total 384133174401137

Honours

Plymouth Argyle

References
  1. Vasili, Phil (17 September 2015). "Leslie, John Francis [Jack] (1901–1988), footballer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/100409. Retrieved 1 July 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. Danes, Ryan (2009). Plymouth Argyle: The Complete Record. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-85983-710-8.
  3. "Barking Town, Plymouth Argyle and England: The story of black pioneer Jack Leslie". Kick It Out.
  4. "Jack Leslie". www.greensonscreen.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  5. "18 April 1923, Argyle 2–0 Gillingham". Greens On Screen. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. Phil Vasili (12 November 2012). The First Black Footballer: Arthur Wharton 1865-1930: An Absence of Memory. Routledge. pp. 76–. ISBN 978-1-136-32247-1.
  7. "England's 92 Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Players". England Football Online. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  8. Coleman, Clive (1 July 2020). "Statue campaign for dropped black player". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  9. "29 December 1934, Argyle 3–1 Fulham". Greens On Screen. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  10. Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle A Complete Record 1903–1989. p. 88. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
  11. Coleman, Clive (1 July 2020). "Statue campaign for dropped black player" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. "Finding Jack's Family". PAFC.co.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. Errington, Chris (19 December 2019). "Plymouth Argyle honour black pioneer Jack Leslie by naming boardroom after the Pilgrims legend". The Herald. Plymouth. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  14. "The Jack Leslie Campaign, Newsletter April 2020". 2 April 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  15. Tiller, Matt (12 June 2020). "Jack Leslie Campaign: 'Time for supporters to know his name'". The Football Supporters' Association. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  16. "The Jack Leslie Statue". Crowdfunder UK. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. "Plymouth square named after slave trader to be renamed". BBC News. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  19. "Plymouth square to be renamed after black footballer Jack Leslie". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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