John Anderson (footballer, born 1878)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John William Anderson | ||
| Date of birth | 1878 | ||
| Place of birth | County Durham, England | ||
| Date of death | Unknown | ||
| Playing position | Half-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Crook Town | |||
| 1896-1903 | Woolwich Arsenal | 144 | (10) |
| 1903-1904 | Portsmouth | 8 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
John William Anderson (born 1878) was an English footballer.
Career
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 1 January 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.
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.