Joe Wilson (footballer, born 1909)

Joseph Alexander Wilson (28 March 1909[upper-alpha 1] – 3 April 1984) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Football League for Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion.[3] He had a brief spell as caretaker manager of the latter club in 1963.

Joe Wilson

Personal information
Full name	Joseph Alexander Wilson
Date of birth	28 March 1909[upper-alpha 1]
Place of birth	High Spen, England
Date of death	3 April 1984 (aged 75)[1]
Place of death	Brighton, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Position(s)	Inside right
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Spen Black and White
	Winlaton Celtic
1931–1933	Tanfield Lea Institute
1933–1936	Newcastle United	28	(5)
1936–1947	Brighton & Hove Albion	156	(15)
Teams managed
1963	Brighton & Hove Albion (caretaker manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Wilson was born in High Spen, County Durham, in 1909.[1][upper-alpha 1] His younger brother, Glen, also became a footballer.[1]

Wilson played football for Spen Black and White, Winlaton Celtic and Tanfield Lea Institute before signing for Newcastle United, initially on amateur forms, in 1933.[5][6] He impressed for their Central League team, and turned professional in September 1933.[7] He made his senior debut on Christmas Day 1934 and scored in a 6–2 defeat of Hull City in the Second Division, and played regularly through the second half of that season. However, he fell out of favour, playing in only 14 matches in 1935–36,[4] many of which were in positions other than his preferred inside right, and was made available for transfer at a fee of £500. He spoke to two Third Division South clubs, Cardiff City and Brighton & Hove Albion, and chose to sign for the latter;[6] the fee paid was £450.[1]

Wilson impressed with his pace and his ability on the ball, and was a regular in the side, although not always at inside right. In the three seasons running up to the Second World War, as Albion finished third, fifth and third, Wilson missed only nine matches in league and FA Cup.[1][8] During the war he served as a Physical Training Instructor and when duty permitted, appeared for Albion in the wartime competitions.[1] He resumed his career with appearances in all ten of Albion's 1945–46 FA Cup matches and 39 of their 42 fixtures in the first post-war league season. He then retired as a player and was appointed assistant to trainer Alex Wilson. When Alex Wilson left the club in 1952, Wilson succeeded him as trainer, a post he held for 18 years.[1] In 1963, he had a brief spell as caretaker manager between George Curtis's departure and the arrival of Archie Macaulay.[9] After five years as chief scout, he retired in 1974.

He remained in the Brighton area, where he died in 1984 at the age of 75.[1]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Newcastle United[4]	1933–34	Second Division	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	1934–35	Second Division	14	4	2	0	—		16	4
	1935–36	Second Division	14	1	0	0	—		14	1
	Total		28	5	2	0	—		30	5
Brighton & Hove Albion[1]	1936–37	Third Division South	38	7	1	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	40	7
	1937–38	Third Division South	42	3	4	2	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	47	5
	1938–39	Third Division South	37	5	1	0	0	0	38	5
	1945–46	—			10	1	—		10	1
	1946–47	Third Division South	39	0	1	0	—		40	0
	Total		156	15	17	3	2	0	175	18
Career total			184	20	19	3	2	0	205	23

1. Appearances in Third Division South Cup

Notes

1. Carder & Harris, Albion A–Z, gives a date of birth of 28 March 1909,[1] which is also the birthdate that appears on his entry in the register of deaths.[2] Other sources give the date of birth as 23 March 1911[3] or 29 September 1911.[4]

References

1. Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 266. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
2. "Joseph Alexander Wilson". England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837–2007. Retrieved 29 May 2019 – via FamilySearch.
3. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 284. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
4. "Player details: Joe Wilson". Toon1892. Kenneth H Scott. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
5. "Player search". The English National Football Archive. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
6. "Joe Wilson for Brighton. United utility man transferred". Sunderland Echo. 13 May 1936. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Newcastle sign Wilson". Shields Daily News. 18 September 1933. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "Brighton & Hove Albion". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
9. Carder & Harris, Albion A–Z, p. 311.