John Horne (footballer)

John Kay Horne (1862 – 30 October 1926), or Johnny Horne, was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Accrington (in six different spells), Windsor, Grimsby Town, Bury, Burslem Port Vale, Blackburn Rovers, Notts County, Burton Swifts, and Darwen.[2] He kept goal for Blackburn as they won the 1890 FA Cup final.

John Horne

Personal information
Full name	John Kay Horne
Date of birth	1862
Place of birth	Huncoat, England
Date of death	30 October 1926 (aged 63–64)
Place of death	Hesketh Bank, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Playing position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1883	Accrington	0	(0)
1883–1884	Windsor	0	(0)
1884–1885	Grimsby Town	0	(0)
1885–1886	Bury	0	(0)
1886	Accrington	0	(0)
1886	Burslem Port Vale	0	(0)
1886–1887	Accrington	0	(0)
1887	Burslem Port Vale	0	(0)
1887–1889	Accrington	22	(0)
1890	Blackburn Rovers	2	(0)
1891	Notts County	0	(0)
1891	Accrington	1	(0)
1891–1892	Burton Swifts
1892–1893	Accrington	3	(0)
1893–1894	Darwen	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Horne played for Accrington (in two different spells). He put his business interests ahead of football and left Accrington for Windsor, Grimsby Town, and Bury, before he joined Burslem Port Vale in May 1886.[3] He made his debut for the club in the final of the North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup on 22 May, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to nearby Stoke.[3] He rejoined Accrington in October, before returning to Port Vale in 1887.[3] He returned to Accrington for a fourth spell in October 1887. On 8 September 1888, he made his league debut at Anfield, then home of Everton; Accrington lost the match 2–1.[4] He played all 22 league games in the 1888–89 season; the only other Accrington player to do so was John Stevenson.[4] Horne played in a defensive-line that kept two clean-sheets and restricted the opposition to one goal on five separate occasions.[4] He was described as a fine amateur goalkeeper, though he only managed to keep two clean-sheets. On 20 October 1888, Horne was part of a defence that prevented Preston North End's "The Invincibles" from scoring. Preston North End played 27 League and FA Cup matches in the 1988–89 season and their visit to Accrington was the only time they failed to score a goal.[5] A chemist by trade, by the time he joined Blackburn Rovers he had a reputation as one of the safest goalkeepers in the country.[1] He featured in just five competitive matches during the 1989–90 season, though one of these games was the 1890 FA Cup final, a comprehensive 6–1 victory over The Wednesday at Kennington Oval.[1] He later played for Notts County, Accrington (in another two separate spells), Burton Swifts, and Darwen.[4]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Accrington	1988–89	the Football League	22	0	2	0	24	0
Blackburn Rovers	1989–90	Football League	2	0	3	0	5	0
Notts County	1990–91	Football League	0	0	0	0	0	0
Accrington	1990–91	Football League	1	0	0	0	1	0
Accrington	1992–93	First Division	3	0	0	0	3	0
Darwen	1993–94	First Division	1	0	1	0	2	0

Honours

Burslem Port Vale

• North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup runner-up: 1886[3]

Blackburn Rovers

• FA Cup: 1890[1]

References

1. Jackman, Mike (1994). Blackburn Rovers : the official encyclopaedia. Derby: Breedon. p. 126. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
2. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. SoccerData. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
3. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 142. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
4. John Horne at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
5. Metcalf, Mark (2013). The Origins of the Football League. Amberley. ISBN 978 1 4456 1881 4.