Belton Jackie Image 2 Nottingham Forest 1922

Description

Loughborough, Leicestershire born wing half Jackie Belton joined Nottingham Forest from Loughborough Corinthians in 1914 and made his Football League debut against Bristol City that September. However the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football after Belton had scored 7 goals in 24 games in his first season, and he subsequently served in the Armed Forces during the War, although after its resolution he returned to the City Ground and resumed with Nottingham Forest on the return to peacetime football in 1919.

Belton was a key member of the Nottingham Forest team over the next nine seasons that saw them win the Second Division Championship in 1922, when he missed only two matches during the campaign, and he remained a regular in their team in the top flight, although they were relegated three years later. The next season he missed only one match in their 1925-26 campaign. After 17 goals in 348 games over nearly 14 years with Forest, Belton re-joined Loughborough Corinthians in the summer of 1928 and retired from professional football.

His father Tom Belton played more than 50 matches for Leicester Fosse during the 1902-03 and 1903-04 and also played in the Southern League for Coventry City, and in the Midland League for Mansfield Town as well as playing for several other clubs including Loughborough Corinthians.