Kay Harry Image 2 Swindon Town 1910

Description

Unsworth, near Bury, Lancashire born right back Harry Kay began his football career with Unsworth Parish Church and joined First Division club Bolton Wanderers in November 1904, making his Football League debut against Woolwich Arsenal in January 1906, his only first team appearance for The Trotters. After three seasons at Burnden Park he signed for Second Division Leeds City in May 1907, where he made 32 appearances for The Peacocks during a single season at Elland Road, developing a reputation as an extremely reliable and steady full back.

In Mau 1908 Kay signed for Southern League club Swindon Town with City team mates Bob Jefferson and Jack Lavery, making his debut for The Robins at Watford that September. He became the regular choice at right back from the 1909-10 season, playing as Swindon both finished runners up to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Southern League and reached the FA Cup semi final, where they lost to eventual winners Newcastle United at White Hart Lane, and also as they won The Dubonnet Cup when they beat Barnsley in Paris in May 1910, a match in which he was described as “the best man” after Harold Fleming, who scored both of Swindon’s goals, and he was an ever present the following season as Swindon won the Southern League Championship. He was considered as the best right back never to have been capped by England, his international career probably only prevented due to the consistency of Jesse Pennington of West Bromwich Albion.

The Championship was confirmed on 22nd April 1911, when the previous year’s winner, Brighton & Hove Albion, came to The County Ground, but goals from Tout, Wheatcroft and Fleming secured a 3-0 home win. Two days later, they meet Brighton again in the Southern Charity Cup Final and when they draw 0-0, a replay was arranged, meaning that the two sides meet three times in five days. The Robins complete their double, with a goal from Archie Bown shortly before half-time taking the Cup to Wiltshire. In September 1911 Kay played in Swindon’s FA Charity Shield appearance, when they lost 8-4 to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, and he again featured in the 1912 FA Cup semi final team when Swindon lost 1-0 to eventual winners Barnsley, avenging themselves of their Parisian defeat two years earlier, in a replay at Meadow Lane, Nottingham.

Before the start of the 1912-13 season, Town went on a tour of Argentina, just six weeks after the sinking of The Titanic. They played eight matches in total, winning six and drawing two – beating teams such as Estudiantes de la Plata, and select sides from Argentina and Uruguay. When they get back, despite an injury-hit campaign, The Robins managed to finish Southern League runners up, just two points behind champions Plymouth Argyle. In 1913-1914 Kay played 32 of the 38 Southern League matches which saw Swindon again crowned Southern League Champions even though their margin could not have been much smaller. Both teams earned fifty points but Swindon’s goal average was 1.98 whereas that of runners up Crystal Palace was 1.88. Kay remained first choice right back until the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of League football in May 1915 and during the War he made a further 5 wartime league appearances during 1915-16.

After the conflict he returned to The County Ground and resumed his role as Swindon’s regular right back for their final season in the Southern League in 1919-20. With Swindon joining The Football League to form the Third Division in August 1920, Kay played in their inaugural League fixture, a 9-1 thrashing of Luton Town at The County Ground, which still stands as the club’s biggest ever League win, but lost his place in March 1921 and played in only 5 further matches the following season in the autumn of 1921 before his retirement in 1922 after 301 appearances for Swindon Town, during which he never scored.