John Blythe (footballer)

John Alfred Blythe (31 January 1924 – June 2007) was an English footballer who made 17 appearances in the Football League playing as a centre half for Darlington.[2]

John Blythe
Personal information
Full name John Alfred Blythe[1]
Date of birth (1924-01-31)31 January 1924[1]
Place of birth Darlington, England
Date of death June 2007 (2007-07) (aged 83)
Place of death Durham, England
Position(s) Centre half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1944–1949 Darlington 17 (0)
1949–19?? Stockton
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Blythe was born in Darlington, County Durham.[1] During the Second World War, he served with the 20th Battalion of the Durham Home Guard.[3] He began his senior football career with Darlington. He played 12 times for them in the wartime leagues from the 1944–45 season onwards,[4] and made his Third Division North debut early in the first post-war season.[5] With Tom Kelly established at centre half, Blythe appeared only infrequently for Darlington's first team, making 17 Football League appearances in three years. He played in the first six matches of the 1948–49 season, but did not appear again until March 1949, after Kelly suffered a head injury.[2][6][7]

He left at the end of the season for North-Eastern League club Stockton, where he was appointed captain.[8] Blythe was selected for the Rest of the League XI for the annual match against the North-Eastern League champions, in this case Middlesbrough Reserves, in September 1949.[9]

Blythe died in June 2007 in Durham at the age of 83.[1]

References
  1. "John Blythe". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. "Darlington: 1946/47–1988/89 & 1990/91–2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Players Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  3. "John Alfred Blythe: WO 409/27/70/453". The National Archives. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War 1939–45. London: Headline. p. 325. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
  5. "Darlington's chosen". Daily Mail. Hull. 9 October 1949. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "To oppose Hull". Yorkshire Evening Post. 10 March 1949. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. 'Three Crowns' (12 March 1949). "Shepherd scores in first minute". Daily Mail. Hull. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Stockton uncertain about defence positions". Sunderland Echo. 23 December 1949. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "North-Eastern League "rest" eleven". Sunderland Echo. 26 September 1949. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.


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