Lewis Harry Image 1 West Ham United 1935

Description

Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan born inside left Harry Lewis began his football career with Dowlais United, from where he joined Third Division (North) club Rochdale in July 1928, scoring the winner on his Football League debut in a 2-1 win over Crewe Alexandra in March 1929. Lewis immediately established himself in ‘Dale’s first eleven, and such was the impression he made, including scoring a hat-trick in a defeat to Doncaster Rovers in November 1930, that he was signed by no lesser club than Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal in February 1931 after 16 goals in 63 appearances.

But in just over a year at Highbury Lewis couldn’t force his way into the first team reckoning and joined Third Division (South) club Southend United in May 1932, where he scored 6 goals in 21 appearances during the 1932-33 campaign. He was signed by Second Division club Notts County in June 1933 and had two seasons at Meadow Lane, scoring 7 goals in 33 appearances, but after The Magpies were relegated in 1935, Lewis signed for West Ham United in June 1935.

After making his Hammers debut in a defeat at Bury that September, he returned to the team at the end of January, scoring in a win at Doncaster Rovers, and then a week later grabbing a hat-trick on his home debut in a 6-0 thrashing of Bury in the return fixture. However he played just once more for West Ham, in a 0-0 draw with Burnley two days later, and after a year of reserve team football he was signed by Swansea Town in March 1937, where he scored 13 goals in 46 appearances in a little over two seasons. He joined Scottish League club Queen of the South in the summer of 1939, but the outbreak of the Second World War that September effectively ended his career.