John Anderson (footballer born 1878)

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Personal information
John Anderson
Full name	John William Anderson
Date of birth	1878
Place of birth	County Durham, England
Date of death	Unknown
Playing position	Half-back
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1896-1903 1903-1904	Crook Town Woolwich Arsenal Portsmouth	144 (10) 8 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

John William Anderson (b. 1878) was an English footballer.

Most likely born in County Durham, Anderson started out at non-league Crook Town before turning professional and joining Woolwich Arsenal in December 1896. He soon made his debut, in a Second Division match away to Darwen on January 1, 1897, which Arsenal lost 4-1. He was a mainstay for the rest of the 1896-97 season, playing all three half back (midfield) positions; his continued versatility meant he remained a regular in the Arsenal side for the next five years.

Anderson's best season for Woolwich Arsenal was 1900-01, where he only missed two league fixtures all season, though he was still being used as a utility man across midfield, without making any single position his own. He continued to be a regular for another season but after the arrival of Roddy McEachrane in 1902, he was squeezed out of the Woolwich Arsenal side; he only played eight games in 1902-03 and left the club at the end of that season. In total he played 153 games for Arsenal, scoring eleven goals. He later joined Southern League Portsmouth; he is not to be confused, however, with the John Anderson who played for Portsmouth in the 1930s.

[edit] References

Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.) (1995). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
Mike Neasom, Mick Cooper & Doug Robinson (1984). Pompey: The History of Portsmouth Football Club. Milestone Publications. ISBN 0-903852-50-0.