Glover John Image 1 Birmingham 1905

Description

Born in West Bromwich, John Glover started in junior football with West Bromwich Unity in 1892, Great Bridge Celtic in 1893, Halesowen in 1894, playing for both Rudge-Whitworth and Newton Albion in 1895 before joining West Bromwich Albion in 1896, for whom he didn’t make a first team appearance. In the 1897 close season he moved to Blackburn Rovers and made his Football League debut at Derby County that September, making 25 appearances in his debut season including a relegation test match against Burnley. Owing to injury and the emergence of future England captain Bob Crompton he moved south to join New Brompton (who in 1912 changed their name to Gillingham) in the Southern League after only 2 further appearances for the Ewood Park club. His contract was still owned by Blackburn Rovers as New Brompton was outside the Football League and he was sold to Liverpool in May 1900.

Glover immediately experienced League Championship success at Liverpool in the 1900-01 season, the first of 18 League titles for the Reds. Glover played in 11 of the 34 matches that season replacing John Robertson, who returned for the last three games of the campaign. He was a strong but diminutive right-back who was said to be gipsy-like in appearance. He was quiet and unassuming on the field and relied more on skill than brute force. Glover started the following year as first-choice, but was replaced half-way through the season by Robertson. Glover reclaimed his place following Roberton’s move in the summer of 1902 and missed only four of the 34 first division fixtures of 1902-03 which Liverpool finished in fifth place. However at the end of the season Glover was caught accepting illegal financial inducements from Portsmouth to sign for the south-coast club. As a result he along with teammates Bill Goldie and Sam Raybould were banned from football until 31st December 1903 and from ever signing for Portsmouth. After 60 appearances Glover left Liverpool in January 1904 despite Liverpool’s offer of maximum wage for a new contract and played 124 times for First Division Small Heath over the next 4 and a half seasons, where he formed an excellent full-back pairing with Frank Stokes, until Birmingham (as the club had changed its name in 1905) were relegated at the end of the 1907-08 season. He then joined non league Brierley Hill Alliance in 1908 before retirement.

Glover was selected to represent The Football League and played in England trials, but was never selected for the full national team.