John Fielding (footballer, born 1939)
John Arnold Fielding (born 2 September 1939) is an English retired professional football winger who played in the Football League for Brentford, Southport and Grimsby Town. He later had a long career in non-league football and also played in South Africa.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | John Arnold Fielding[1] | ||
Date of birth | 2 September 1939 | ||
Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2] | ||
Playing position(s) | Right winger, right midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1959–1961 | Wigan Athletic | 19 | (8) |
1961–1963 | Southport | 77 | (21) |
1963–1965 | Brentford | 82 | (18) |
1965–1967 | Grimsby Town | 30 | (8) |
1967–1968 | Port Elizabeth City | ||
1969–1970 | Wigan Athletic | 27 | (3) |
Altrincham | |||
Ellesmere Port Town | |||
South Liverpool | |||
Runcorn | |||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Playing career
Early years
A right winger or midfielder, Fielding began his career at Lancashire Combination First Division club Wigan Athletic, scoring a goal every other game during the 1959–60 season and earning a £300 move to Football League Fourth Division club Southport in March 1961.[1][2] He broke into the team on a regular basis during the 1961–62 season, scoring 12 goals in 45 games.[3] He went even better the 1962–63 season, bagging 11 goals in 32 games before departing the club in March 1963.[2][3] Fielding scored made 86 appearances and scored 24 goals for Southport.[3]
Brentford
Fielding signed for Fourth Division high-flyers Brentford in March 1963 in a £7,000 deal.[2] He had impressed manager Malky McDonald with his performance while a Southport player at Griffin Park in a 3–3 draw earlier in the season.[2] After the return fixture, McDonald tabled a big-money offer.[2] Fielding made seven appearances in what remained of the 1962–63 season to help the Bees over the line to the Division Four title.[4] He made semi-regular appearances in the Third Division and made 31 appearances, before fully breaking into the team in the 1964–65 season, when he made 42 appearances and scoring 10 league goals.[4] After making just 9 appearances in the first half of the 1965–66 season, Fielding left the Bees in December 1965.[2][4] He made 93 appearances and scored 21 goals during two-and-a-half years at Griffin Park.[2]
Grimsby Town
Fielding joined Third Division club Grimsby Town in December 1965.[2] Though not a regular pick for the team, he managed eight goals in 30 league games before departing in 1967.[1]
Port Elizabeth City
Fielding moved to South Africa in 1967, where he linked up with former Brentford teammate Matt Crowe at National Football League club Port Elizabeth City.[2] He had a successful 1967 season, winning the league title and departing after the 1968 campaign.
Return to Wigan Athletic
Fielding returned to Wigan Athletic in 1969 for a second spell with the now high-flying Northern Premier League club.[2] He made 27 league appearances and scored three goals during the 1969–70 season and helping the Latics to a second-successive runners-up finish in the league. He departed at the end of the season.
Non-league football
Fielding wound down his career with spells at Northern Premier League clubs Altrincham, Ellesmere Port Town, South Liverpool and Runcorn.[2]
Career statistics
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Southport | 1960–61[5] | Fourth Division | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
1961–62[6] | 41 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 45 | 12 | ||
1962–63[7] | 27 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 32 | 11 | |||
Total | 77 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 24 | ||
Brentford | 1962–63[4] | Fourth Division | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | |||
1963–64[4] | Third Division | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
1964–65[4] | 38 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 11 | |||
1965–66[4] | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 3 | |||
Total | 82 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 91 | 21 | |||
Career total | 159 | 39 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 177 | 45 |
- Appearance in Liverpool Senior Cup
References
- "John Fielding". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 56. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- "Port Online – Johnny Fielding". Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 387–388. ISBN 0951526200.
- "Player Details". Port Online. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- "Player Details". Port Online. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- "Player Details". Port Online. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.