Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Joseph Harry Hampton | ||
Date of birth | 21 April 1885 | ||
Place of birth | Wellington, England | ||
Date of death | 15 March 1963 | (aged 77)||
Place of death | Rhyl, Wales | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Shifnal Juniors | |||
– | Lilleshall Iron Works | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1902–1904 | Wellington Town | ||
1904–1920 | Aston Villa | 341 | (215) |
1920–1922 | Birmingham | 57 | (31) |
1922–1923 | Newport County | 14 | (2) |
1924–1925 | Wellington Town | ||
Total | 412 | (248) | |
National team | |||
1913–1914 | England | 4 | (2) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Joseph Harry Hampton (21 April 1885 – 15 March 1963) was an English football player who was born in Wellington, Shropshire. To this day Hampton remains Aston Villa's all-time leading goalscorer in the League.
According to a friend speaking to the Wellington Journal and Shrewsbury News after his death, Hampton began his playing career with Lilleshall Iron Works team then joined Wellington Town, before transferring to Aston Villa on a professional contract for £120 in April 1904.
Better known as "Happy" Harry Hampton or as "The Wellington Whirlwind," he played as a centre forward for Aston Villa from 1904 to 1920. He scored both goals against Newcastle United in the 1905 FA Cup Final Hampton was a prolific goalscorer and once scored five goals when Aston Villa beat Sheffield Wednesday 10–0 in a First Division match in 1912. He was joint top goalscorer in the First Division in the 1911–12 season. Between 1913 and 1914 Hampton was capped by England four times, scoring two goals in games against Wales and Scotland.
Hampton served on the Somme during the First World War and suffered from the effects of mustard gas poisoning. Hampton was never the same player after the War and after scoring 242 goals in 376 games for Aston Villa, he moved to Birmingham.
At Birmingham Hampton become the Second Division club's star player, his 16 goals made him their top scorer for the 1920–21 season and helped the club to the Second Division title. He ultimately scored 31 goals out of 57 appearances in the club before transferring to Newport County in Wales.