John Smith (footballer, born 1865)

John "Jock" Smith (19 December 1865 – 23 January 1911) was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside right.[1][3]

John Smith
Personal information
Date of birth 19 December 1865
Place of birth Kilmarnock, Scotland[1]
Date of death 23 January 1911(1911-01-23) (aged 45)
Place of death Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s) Inside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–1887 Summerton Athletic
1887–1888 Kilmarnock
1888–1889 Newcastle East End
1889–1892 Sunderland 24 (2)
1892 Kilmarnock
1892–1893 Liverpool 11 (5)
1893–1894 The Wednesday 18 (1)
1894–1895 Newcastle United 25 (10)
1895–1896 Loughborough 14 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Smith signed for Kilmarnock in November 1887. He moved to Newcastle East End in August 1888, before moving to Sunderland in September a year later.[4] For the 1889–90 season, Sunderland were playing non-league football. However, their application to join the Football League for the 1890–91 season was successful.[5] He made 15 league appearances and scored 2 goals that season; the first on 10 February 1891 against Bolton Wanders and the second on 21 March against Derby County. In the 1891 Census, he is living with his wife, Janet, and 1-year old daughter Maggie, and his occupation is "iron worker".[4] In the following season, he played 14 league matches and scored twice, helping Sunderland to win the league. In April and May 1892, Smith briefly played for Kilmarnock again.[4][6]

However, in the middle of May, he signed for Liverpool for their inaugural season.[7] He played in Liverpool's first ever match, a 7-1 friendly win against Rotherham Town on 1 September.[8] He played in their first league match on 3 September and scored twice, the first of which was Liverpool's first ever competitive goal.[9] Smith went on to make a further 10 league appearances, scoring a further 3 goals.[10]

In May 1893, Smith transferred to The Wednesday, playing in the First Division. He went on to make 18 league appearances and score 1 goal.[4] At the end of the season, he re-signed for Newcastle, having merged to form 'United'. He made his league debut on 1 September against Darwen, but scored his first goals for the club a week later against Burton Swifts. Smith made a total of 25 league appearances, scoring 10 times.[11] On 14 November 1895, he signed for Loughborough and went on to make 14 appearances, scoring 1 goal for the club.[4]

After retiring, Smith moved back to Newcastle and became a bar manager and the 1901 Census says he has had a further 4 children.[12][4] The family then moved to Byker, where Smith worked as a fitter. On the 23 January 1911, Smith committed suicide at the age of 45. An inquest gave the verdict as due to "a depressed state of mind”, likely due to the death of one of his children the week before. He had previously been sent to an asylum because of intemperance.[13][14]

References
  1. John Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  2. kjehan (5 December 1892). "The heights and weights of the Liverpool players 1892-93". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  3. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. SoccerData. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  4. kjehan (23 January 1911). "John Smith (Jock Smith) @ PlayUpLiverpool.com". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  5. "History of Sunderland Football Club". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  6. kjehan (13 May 1892). "Jock Smith visiting friends in Kilmarnock". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  7. kjehan (16 May 1892). "Jock Smith have signed for Liverpool". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  8. kjehan (1 September 1892). "Liverpool v Rotherham Town 7-1 (Friendly: September 1, 1892)". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  9. kjehan (3 September 1892). "Liverpool v Higher Walton 8-0 (League match: September 3, 1892)". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  10. "John Smith". LFC History. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  11. Scott, Kenneth H. "John -Jock- Smith | Players | toon1892 ~ a site for Newcastle United fans everywhere..." toon1892.com. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  12. kjehan (26 October 1901). "Jock Smith and James Stott in Newcastle". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  13. kjehan (23 January 1911). "The death of Jock Smith". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  14. kjehan (25 January 1911). "The inquest into the death of Jock Smith". "Play Up, Liverpool". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
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