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Arthur Bradford (footballer)
Encyclopedia
James Arthur Bradford was an English
footballer who played his entire professional career (from 1922 to 1936) as a half back with Southampton
. He was one of the "Saints"' most loyal players ever.
and played his youth football with Bloxwich
All Saints, before joining the Talbot Stead Tube works team (from which Ted Hough
was signed in October 1921) where he was spotted by scouts from Southampton and offered a trial. After a successful trial he signed a professional contract in September 1922 but didn't make his first team debut until 18 April 1924 in a Second Division
match at Crystal Palace
, replacing Bill Turner
at centre half.
He spent the first half of the following season
in the reserves until mid-February when he was called into the team at left half (with George Harkus
moving forward), and retained his place for the rest of the season. For the 1925–26 season he played approximately half of the league games and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 victory over Fulham
on 10 April 1925. He missed most of the following season, unable to break into the established half-back line of Bert Shelley
, George Harkus
and Stan Woodhouse
.
From 1927–28 onwards he was more regularly selected by manager Arthur Chadwick
, often filling in at full back in place of Michael Keeping
or Ted Hough
. According to Holley & Chalk, he was "ideally built for a centre-back role (his) versatility was put to good use and in emergencies he would even play in goal". Midway through the 1929–30 season he was moved to right-back taking over from Hough for the rest of the season, retaining his place at right back for the following season, in which he missed only three matches.
Following the departure of manager Chadwick in April 1931, his replacement George Kay
signed Frank Campbell from Scotland who was generally preferred to Bradford, who played in only about half the matches in 1931–32. By the following season
, with Johnny McIlwaine
taking a year out to play in the Welsh League
, Bradford was team captain, missing only four matches as Saints again finished in Second Division
mid-table obscurity. He continued to appear regularly over the next few seasons, and could be selected for any of the two full back and three centre back positions.
After 14 seasons at The Dell, Bradford eventually retired at the end of the 1935–36 season
. During this period he played under four managers and made a total of 319 appearances (with 7 goals); all his league matches were in the Second Division in a period during which the Saints struggled financially and were generally forced to sell their better players to survive. Bradford's loyalty and longevity earned him two benefit matches.
After leaving the Saints, he became the licensee at the Plume of Feathers public house in St Mary's Street. He also played one season with Cowes Sports
helping them to win the Hampshire Senior Cup
.
He died in Southampton
on 13 April 1944 aged only 41 years.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who played his entire professional career (from 1922 to 1936) as a half back with Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. He was one of the "Saints"' most loyal players ever.
Playing career
Bradford was born in WalsallWalsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
and played his youth football with Bloxwich
Bloxwich
Bloxwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England, with a population of around 40,000 people.-Early history:Bloxwich has its origins at least as early as the Anglo-Saxon period, when the place name evidence suggests it was a small Mercian settlement named after the...
All Saints, before joining the Talbot Stead Tube works team (from which Ted Hough
Ted Hough
Edward "Ted" Hough was an English footballer who spent most of his career with Southampton playing as a centre-half and later as a full-back.-Southampton:...
was signed in October 1921) where he was spotted by scouts from Southampton and offered a trial. After a successful trial he signed a professional contract in September 1922 but didn't make his first team debut until 18 April 1924 in a Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
match at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, replacing Bill Turner
Bill Turner (footballer)
William "Bill" Turner was an English footballer who played as a half back with Southampton, Bury and Queens Park Rangers in the 1920s.-Football career:...
at centre half.
He spent the first half of the following season
1924-25 in English football
The 1924–25 season was the 50th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
in the reserves until mid-February when he was called into the team at left half (with George Harkus
George Harkus
George Cecil Harkus MBE was an English professional footballer who played as a half back for Southampton in the 1920s before serving with distinction in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.-Early days:...
moving forward), and retained his place for the rest of the season. For the 1925–26 season he played approximately half of the league games and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 victory over Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
on 10 April 1925. He missed most of the following season, unable to break into the established half-back line of Bert Shelley
Bert Shelley
Frederick Albert "Bert" Shelley was an English footballer, who played as a half back for Southampton, for whom he made nearly 450 appearances, before becoming a coach at Southampton...
, George Harkus
George Harkus
George Cecil Harkus MBE was an English professional footballer who played as a half back for Southampton in the 1920s before serving with distinction in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.-Early days:...
and Stan Woodhouse
Stan Woodhouse
Stanley "Stan" Woodhouse was an English footballer who played initially as an inside forward and later as a half back with Bury and Southampton in the 1920s and 1930s.-Playing career:...
.
From 1927–28 onwards he was more regularly selected by manager Arthur Chadwick
Arthur Chadwick
Arthur Chadwick was a professional footballer whose playing career included spells at Portsmouth and Southampton, before going on to be manager at Exeter City, Reading and Southampton...
, often filling in at full back in place of Michael Keeping
Michael Keeping
Alexander Edwin Michael "Mike" Keeping was an English footballer and manager. He coached Real Madrid C.F. from January 1948 to October 1950.-Southampton:...
or Ted Hough
Ted Hough
Edward "Ted" Hough was an English footballer who spent most of his career with Southampton playing as a centre-half and later as a full-back.-Southampton:...
. According to Holley & Chalk, he was "ideally built for a centre-back role (his) versatility was put to good use and in emergencies he would even play in goal". Midway through the 1929–30 season he was moved to right-back taking over from Hough for the rest of the season, retaining his place at right back for the following season, in which he missed only three matches.
Following the departure of manager Chadwick in April 1931, his replacement George Kay
George Kay
George Kay was an English football player and manager of Luton Town, Southampton and Liverpool.The highlight of his playing career was when he captained West Ham United in the first FA Cup final to be played at Wembley, the so-called White Horse Final.He was manager of Liverpool for 15 years and...
signed Frank Campbell from Scotland who was generally preferred to Bradford, who played in only about half the matches in 1931–32. By the following season
1932-33 in English football
The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
, with Johnny McIlwaine
Johnny McIlwaine
John "Johnny" McIlwaine was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre half for Portsmouth, where he captained the team in the 1929 FA Cup Final, before moving to south coast rivals Southampton...
taking a year out to play in the Welsh League
Welsh Football League
The Welsh Football League is a club football league in Wales. Division One of the Welsh Football League is at Level 2 of the Welsh football league system, immediately below the national Welsh Premier League.The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first...
, Bradford was team captain, missing only four matches as Saints again finished in Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
mid-table obscurity. He continued to appear regularly over the next few seasons, and could be selected for any of the two full back and three centre back positions.
After 14 seasons at The Dell, Bradford eventually retired at the end of the 1935–36 season
1935-36 in English football
The 1935–36 season was the 61st season of competitive football in England.-Events:Sunderland AFC won the league, and in doing so they remain the last team to win the English League while wearing striped jerseys...
. During this period he played under four managers and made a total of 319 appearances (with 7 goals); all his league matches were in the Second Division in a period during which the Saints struggled financially and were generally forced to sell their better players to survive. Bradford's loyalty and longevity earned him two benefit matches.
After leaving the Saints, he became the licensee at the Plume of Feathers public house in St Mary's Street. He also played one season with Cowes Sports
Cowes Sports F.C.
Cowes Sports F.C. is a football club based in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. They were established in 1881.The history of Cowes Football Club can be traced back to 1881, when the club was originally formed, although competitive action did not arrive until 1886 in the shape of the Hants and Dorset...
helping them to win the Hampshire Senior Cup
Hampshire Senior Cup
The Hampshire Senior Cup is a cup competition open to football teams affiliated with the Hampshire Football Association. The competition was founded in 1888 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of 1914 to 1919 when it was postponed due to World War I.Despite the...
.
He died in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on 13 April 1944 aged only 41 years.