Jack Wilkinson (footballer, born 1931)
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Jack Wilkinson
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|09|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = Middlewich, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1996|04|10|1931|09|17|df=y}}
| death_place = Winsford, England
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}{{cite news |title=Clipping Heroes #9: New signings |url=https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2015/06/clipping-heroes-9-new-signings/ |access-date=5 June 2020 |work=onevalefan.co.uk |date=27 June 2015}}
| position = Centre-forward
| youthyears1 = 1948–1950| youthclubs1 = Middlewich Athletic Rangers
| years1 = 1950–1953| clubs1 = Witton Albion| caps1 = | goals1 =
| years2 = 1953–1956| clubs2 = Arsenal| caps2 = 1| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1956–1957| clubs3 = Sheffield United| caps3=29|goals3= 16
| years4 = 1957–1959| clubs4 = Port Vale| caps4 = 80| goals4 = 39
| years5 = 1959–1961| clubs5 = Exeter City| caps5 = 48| goals5 = 26
| years6 = 1962–1963| clubs6 = Wellington Town| caps6 = | goals6 =
| years7 = 1963–1964| clubs7 = Witton Albion| caps7 = | goals7 =
| years8 = 1964–1965| clubs8 = Murgatroyd's| caps8 = | goals8 =
| years9 = 1965–1966| clubs9 = Winsford United| caps9 = | goals9 =
| totalcaps = 158+| totalgoals = 81+
}}
Jack Wilkinson (17 September 1931 – 10 April 1996) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward in the Football League for eight years. He scored 81 goals in 158 league games, a record of a goal every two appearances.
He moved from Witton Albion to Arsenal in October 1953. He featured only once for the "Gunners" before moving on to Sheffield United in March 1956. He switched to Port Vale in June 1957 and helped the "Valiants" to the Fourth Division title in 1958–59. He was sold on to Exeter City for a £2,500 fee in October 1959 before entering non-League football in 1961 with Wellington Town.
Career
Wilkinson played for Middlewich Athletic Rangers and Witton Albion, making his debut for Witton on 23 August 1952 and scoring 17 goals from 39 games in the 1952–53 season and scoring 10 goals in 14 games at the start of the 1953–54 campaign.{{cite web |title=1952–53 PLAYERS RECORDS |url=https://www.wittonalbionfc.co.uk/a/seasons-archive-19501960-51596.html?page=8 |website=wittonalbionfc.co.uk |access-date=11 February 2022}}{{cite web |title=1953–54 PLAYERS RECORDS |url=https://www.wittonalbionfc.co.uk/a/seasons-archive-19501960-51596.html?page=11 |website=wittonalbionfc.co.uk |access-date=11 February 2022}} He moved into League football with Tom Whittaker's Arsenal in October 1953.{{cite web|title=Jack Wilkinson {{!}} Arsenal.com|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/727/jack-wilkinson|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|access-date=18 October 2016}} He was a reserve to Cliff Holton.{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Tony |title=Who's who of Arsenal |date=2007 |publisher=Mainstream Publishing |location=Edinburgh |page= 302|isbn=9781845962326 |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofarsenal0000matt/page/78/mode/2up/search/port+vale?q=port+vale |access-date=14 April 2020}} He made just one competitive appearance, in a First Division game against Leicester City on 19 February 1955 which Arsenal drew 1–1. Despite consistently scoring for Arsenal's reserves, he was never given another first-team opportunity at Highbury, and transferred to Sheffield United in March 1956 for £5,000.{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Jeff |editor-last=Hogg |editor-first=Tony | title=Arsenal Who's Who |publisher=Independent UK Sports |year=1995 |isbn=978-1-899429-03-5 |page=242}} Joe Mercer's "Blades" were relegated out of the top-flight with a last-place finish in 1955–56, and could only manage a seventh-place finish in the Second Division in 1956–57. Wilkinson scored 16 goals in 29 league games during his time at Bramall Lane.{{cite news |last1=Fielding |first1=Rob |title=Cult hero 64: Jack Wilkinson |url=https://www.onevalefan.co.uk/2019/05/cult-hero-64-jack-wilkinson/ |access-date=1 June 2020 |work=onevalefan.co.uk |date=1 May 2019}}
Wilkinson thereafter signed with Norman Low's Port Vale in June 1957, a move which suited him as his home with wife and two children was in nearby Middlewich.{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=309|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}} He scored a total of 19 goals in 44 appearances in the 1957–58 season. However, his goals could not prevent the "Valiants" finishing within the lower half of the Third Division South table and thereby become founding members of the inaugural Football League Fourth Division. He then scored 21 goals in 34 games in Port Vale's campaign of 1958–59, wherein Vale stormed to promotion as the Fourth Division's inaugural champions. Some of the other members of Vale's highly effective front line for that season included Harry Poole, Stan Steele and Noel Kinsey. Having scored just once in six league games at the start of the 1959–60 season, he was sold to Exeter City for a £2,500 fee in October 1959. Wilkinson was flown down to St James Park by helicopter to sign with the club and went on to score on his debut for the "Grecians".{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Tales: A Collection of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories|publisher=Witan Books|date=December 1991|pages=107|isbn=0-9508981-6-3}} He also helped Frank Broome's side post a ninth-place finish in the Fourth Division of the 1959–60 season. He was transfer-listed by his own request in January 1961 as his wife wished to move back to the Cheshire area.{{cite web |title=Wilkinson, Jack |url=https://grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/567 |website=grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk |access-date=9 November 2022}} The club had to apply for re-election in the 1960–61 season. Despite boasting a record of 26 goals in 48 league games for Exeter, Wilkinson moved back into non-League with Wellington Town. He scored six goals in sixteen games back at Witton Albion in the 1962–63 season and then scored a further five goals from 25 games in the 1963–64 season.{{cite web |title=1962–63 PLAYERS RECORDS |url=https://www.wittonalbionfc.co.uk/a/seasons-archive-19601970-53063.html?page=8 |website=wittonalbionfc.co.uk |access-date=11 February 2022}}{{cite web |title=1963–64 PLAYERS RECORDS |url=https://www.wittonalbionfc.co.uk/a/seasons-archive-19601970-53063.html?page=11 |website=wittonalbionfc.co.uk |access-date=11 February 2022}} He later played for Murgatroyd's and served Winsford United as a player-coach.
Career statistics
Source:{{ENFA}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Arsenal
|1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| rowspan="3"|Sheffield United
|First Division |12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | |
| 1956–57
|17 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 10 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!29 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 16 | |
| rowspan="4"|Port Vale
|41 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 19 | |
| 1958–59
|33 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 21 | |
| 1959–60
|6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!80 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 84 | 41 | |
| rowspan="3"|Exeter City
|Fourth Division |29 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 17 | |
| 1960–61
|Fourth Division |19 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!48 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 27 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!158 | 81 | 8 | 3 | 166 | 84 |
Honours
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Jack}}
Category:People from Middlewich
Category:Footballers from Cheshire
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Witton Albion F.C. players
Category:Sheffield United F.C. players
Category:Port Vale F.C. players
Category:Exeter City F.C. players
Category:Telford United F.C. players
Category:Winsford United F.C. players
Category:English Football League players