John Fielding (footballer, born 1939)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Arnold Fielding[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 1 August 2022 (aged 82)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Wigan, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1955–1959 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1961 | Wigan Athletic | 19 | (8) |
| 1961–1963 | Southport | 77 | (21) |
| 1963–1965 | Brentford | 82 | (18) |
| 1965–1967 | Grimsby Town | 30 | (8) |
| 1967–1968 | Port Elizabeth City | ||
| 1968–1969 | Southport | 0 | (0) |
| 1969–1970 | Wigan Athletic | 27 | (3) |
| Altrincham | |||
| Ellesmere Port Town | |||
| South Liverpool | |||
| –1976 | Runcorn | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Arnold Fielding (2 September 1939 – 1 August 2022) was an English professional footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Brentford, Southport and Grimsby Town. He later had a long career in non-League football and also played in South Africa.
Early years
A right winger or midfielder, Fielding began his career as an amateur at Everton.[3][4] Following four seasons at Goodison Park, he transferred to Lancashire Combination First Division club Wigan Athletic.[3] A record of nearly a goal every other game between September 1959 and March 1961 earned Fielding a £500 transfer to Football League Fourth Division club Southport.[3] He broke into the team on a regular basis during the 1961–62 season, scoring 13 goals in 48 appearances.[5] He went even better the 1962–63 season, with 11 goals in 32 appearances, before departing the club in March 1963.[5] Fielding scored made 86 appearances and scored 24 goals for Southport.[5]
Brentford
On 26 March 1963,[5] Fielding transferred to Fourth Division high-flyers Brentford for a £7,000 fee.[2] He had impressed manager Malky McDonald with his performance while a Southport player at Griffin Park in a 3–3 draw earlier in the season.[2] After the return fixture, McDonald tabled a big-money offer.[2] Fielding made seven appearances in what remained of the 1962–63 season to help the Bees over the line to the Division Four championship.[6] He made semi-regular appearances in the Third Division and made 31 appearances, before fully breaking into the team in the 1964–65 season, when he made 42 appearances and scored 10 league goals.[6] After making just 9 appearances in the first half of the 1965–66 season, Fielding left the Bees in December 1965.[2][6] He made 93 appearances and scored 21 goals during 2+1⁄2 years at Griffin Park.[2]
Grimsby Town
Fielding joined Third Division club Grimsby Town in December 1965.[2] Though not a regular pick for the team, he managed eight goals in 31 appearances before departing in 1967.[1][7]
Port Elizabeth City
Fielding moved to South Africa in 1967, where he linked up with former Brentford teammate Matt Crowe at National Football League club Port Elizabeth City.[2] He had a successful 1967 season, winning the league championship.[3] Fielding departed the club at the end of the 1968 season.[4]
Return to Southport
Fielding returned to Third Division club Southport in November 1968 and made a first team appearance in a Lancashire Senior Cup match on 3 January 1969.[4][5] In February 1969, he departed to join Tranmere Rovers on trial.[5]
Return to Wigan Athletic
Fielding returned to Wigan Athletic in 1969 for a second spell with the now high-flying Northern Premier League club.[2] He made 49 appearances and scored eight goals during the 1969–70 season and helping the Latics to a second-successive runners-up finish in the league.[3][8] He departed at the end of the season.[3]
Non-League football
Fielding wound down his career with spells at Northern Premier League clubs Altrincham, Ellesmere Port Town, South Liverpool and Runcorn.[2] Work commitments led to his retirement from football in 1976.[3]
Personal life
While an amateur with Everton, Fielding served an apprenticeship as a plumber with Arthur Peat.[4]