Harry Osman
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harry James Osman | ||
| Date of birth | 29 January 1911 | ||
| Place of birth | Bentworth, Hampshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 17 December 1998 (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Okeford United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1930–1935 | Poole Town | ||
| 1935–1937 | Plymouth Argyle | 5 | (0) |
| 1937–1939 | Southampton | 70 | (31) |
| 1939–1947 | Millwall | 34 | (3) |
| 1947–1948 | Bristol City | 18 | (1) |
| 1948–1951 | Dartford | ||
| 1951–1952 | Canterbury City | ||
| 1952–1953 | Winchester City | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1951–1952 | Canterbury City (Player–manager) | ||
| 1953–1957 | Winchester City | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Harry James Osman (29 January 1911 – 17 December 1998) was an English footballer who played as an outside left for Southampton (the "Saints") for two seasons in the 1930s and went on to become manager of Winchester City where he "discovered" future England international Terry Paine.
Osman was born in the village of Bentworth near Alton, Hampshire but moved as a child to Okeford Fitzpaine in Dorset. As a teenager, he played football for Okeford United, before joining Poole Town, playing in the Western League, in 1930.
In December 1935, he joined Plymouth Argyle of the Football League Second Division, where he remained until the summer of 1937. Despite making only five appearances for Plymouth, he had caught the eye of Tom Parker when he was manager of Norwich City. On joining Southampton in 1937, Parker signed Osman from Plymouth, as well as several youngsters from his previous club.
Osman moved back to Hampshire on a free transfer, making his debut for Southampton (in the Football League Second Division) on 28 August 1937, the first day of the 1937–38 season. Osman made an immediate impact, scoring in a 3–4 defeat by Parker's old club. His next goal came on 18 September (against West Ham United) before starting a run of form in October which saw him score eight goals in four games, including a hat-trick in a 3–6 defeat at Luton Town. On Christmas Day 1937, the Saints played a home league match against Swansea Town in which Osman scored to bring the result level at 1–1; this was the last goal scored at The Dell on a Christmas Day. Although Christmas Day fixtures continued on–and–off until 1959, all the Saints' subsequent Christmas Day matches were away from home.
...
Wikipedia