Jack Southworth
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Southworth | ||
| Date of birth | 11 December 1866 | ||
| Place of birth | Blackburn, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 October 1956 (aged 89) | ||
| Playing position | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Inkerman Rangers | |||
| – | Brookhouse Perseverance | ||
| – | Blackburn Olympic | ||
| – | Higher Walton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Chester | |||
| Blackburn Olympic | |||
| 1888–1893 | Blackburn Rovers | 108 | (97) |
| 1893–1894 | Everton | 31 | (36) |
| National team | |||
| 1889–1892 | England | 3 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
John (Jack) Southworth (born in Blackburn on 11 December 1866, died 16 October 1956), was a footballer who played in the early days of professional football for Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as being capped three times for England. He was the top scorer in the Football League in 1890–91 and 1893–94.
He began his football career at the age of 7 when he helped form a junior club named Inkerman Rangers. He later played for Brookhouse Perseverance, which was a nursery side for Blackburn Olympic. Southworth was promoted to the Olympic second team in 1883–84. His ability was quickly recognised by the committee at Olympic and he was made captain of the second team and first reserve when there was a vacancy in the first team. It was at this time that he rejected the first approach by Blackburn Rovers to join them.
Whilst guesting in a match for Accrington he received a serious knee injury which threatened his career. Having lost some of his mobility he turned his hand to goalkeeping and became the first team goalkeeper with Blackburn Olympic. After playing on the losing side in the final of the Lancashire Cup against Blackburn Rovers in 1885, he received a serious injury to his other knee again whilst playing as a guest, this time for Vale of Lune. The following year he signed professional terms with Chester despite his knee problems. At recently formed Chester, he scored their first ever goal against their local rivals Wrexham Olympic in 1886.
In the 1885–86 season, despite having signed professional for Chester FC earlier in the season, he turned out for Blackburn Olympic in their First Round FA Cup match. As a result of the subsequent FA enquiry he was suspended for four months. (Source: Shooting Stars: The History of Blackburn Olympic, p. 70)
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