John Friar

John Friar (18 July 1911 – 22 May 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played on the right-wing. He represented Carluke Rovers, Bradford City, Hibernian, Portsmouth, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Port Vale, Preston North End, Norwich City, and Ipswich Town.

John Friar

Personal information
Full name	John Friar[1]
Date of birth	(1911-07-18)18 July 1911[1]
Place of birth	Cambusnethan, Scotland[1]
Date of death	22 May 1979(1979-05-22) (aged 67)[1]
Place of death	Bathgate, Scotland[1]
Playing position(s)	Right winger
Youth career
	Carluke Rovers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1929–1931	Bradford City	0	(0)
1931–1932	Hibernian	25	(11)
1932–1933	Portsmouth	1	(1)
1933–1934	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	34	(11)
1934	Port Vale	18	(10)
1934–1936	Preston North End	26	(8)
1936–1939	Norwich City	82	(18)
1939	Ipswich Town	0	(0)
Total		186	(59)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Friar played for Carluke Rovers and Bradford City, before joining Hibernian. He made his debut on 8 August 1931, in a 1–0 win over Alloa Athletic at Easter Road, and scored his first goal for "Hibs" ten days later in a 3–1 win over Arbroath.[2] He scored a total of 11 goals in 25 Second Division appearances in the 1931–32 season.[2] He moved back to England in April 1932 when he signed with Portsmouth. In 1933, he and Jack Surtees were traded to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, with Len Williams moving in the opposite direction. He joined Port Vale in July 1934 and scored on his debut on 25 August; a 2–0 win over Sheffield United at The Old Recreation Ground.[1] He went on to score braces in home wins over Southampton, Manchester United and Bury, and boasted a total of ten goals in the opening 18 Second Division games of the season.[1] This record led him to be snapped up by First Division side Preston North End in December 1934, in exchange for Ted Critchley and a cash balance.[1] He later played for Norwich City and Ipswich Town.[1]

Statistics

Source:[3]

Club	Season	Division	League		National Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bradford City	1929–30	Second Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hibernian[4]	1931–32	Scottish Division One	25	11	0	0	0	0	25	11
Portsmouth	1932–33	First Division	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	1933–34	Third Division South	34	11	2	0	2	2	38	13
Port Vale	1934–35	Second Division	18	10	0	0	0	0	18	10
Preston North End	1934–35	First Division	23	8	6	1	0	0	29	9
	1935–36	First Division	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		26	8	6	1	0	0	32	9
Norwich City	1935–36	Second Division	12	2	2	0	0	0	14	2
	1936–37	Second Division	13	3	0	0	0	0	13	3
	1937–38	Second Division	34	10	1	0	0	0	35	10
	1938–39	Second Division	23	3	1	0	0	0	24	3
	Total		82	18	4	0	0	0	86	18
Ipswich Town	1939–40		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			186	59	12	1	2	2	205	62

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 107. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. "Friar, John". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
3. John Friar at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
4. "Hibernian Player John Friar Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 February 2017.