North Joe Image 1 Arsenal 1921

Description

Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire born centre forward Joe North began his football career with Atlas & Norfolk after the First World War, joining First Division club Sheffield United in October 1919. He spent two months at Bramall Lane without making The Blades’ first eleven before signing for Arsenal that December, making his Football League debut against Oldham Athletic in February 1920, scoring in a 3-2 victory. Never a regular during two and a half years at Highbury, he scored 6 goals in 23 matches before a move to Third Division (South) club Reading in May 1922.

He was very much on the fringe at Elm Park, playing 4 matches for Reading before a move to Gillingham in July 1923, where he missed only 3 matches in 1923-24, scoring 18 goals, including 5 goals in an FA Cup tie win at Nunhead in December 1923, in 43 matches for The Gills before joining Norwich City in August 1924. A regular for The Canaries over two seasons, he scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Crystal Palace on Christmas Day 1925 before transferring to Watford in August 1926. But he only made 6 appearances for The Hornets during the course of their 1926-27 campaign, moving to non league Northfleet United in 1927, his last recorded club before his eventual retirement.