Black John Image 2 Nelson 1922

Description

Denny, Stirlingshire born wing half John Black served during the First World War with The Gordon Highlanders and played Army football while in the Army, and after the War he began his football career with Denny Hibernian in 1920. His first professional contract was with First Division Sunderland whom he joined in April 1921 and for whom he played twice, making his Football League debut at Birmingham in October 1921, then playing a week later in a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Roker Park.

Released at the end of the season he signed for Nelson, with whom he won the Third Division (North) Championship in his first season, scoring 5 times in the Championship season and making 31 appearances over less than two seasons at Seedhill, but he lost his place in Nelson’s first team in September 1923 before joining Accrington Stanley in February 1924. He scored 5 more times for Stanley in 14 games before the end of the season, joining Chesterfield over the summer.

After only 23 appearances for The Spirerites, where he was a fringe player in 1925-26, he joined Luton Town in June 1926 and spent the next four years at Kenilworth Road, playing 101 times overall, scoring 4 goals. However he again lost his place in The Hatters’ first team in 1929, after which he joined Bristol Rovers in the summer of 1930. After scoring twice in 55 games for The Pirates, he finished his professional career in 1932, joining non league Normanby Park Works in Scunthorpe.

His elder brother, Adam Black, still holds the record number of appearances for Leicester City having played for them for some 16 years after the First World War.