Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Jack Wilkinson | ||
Date of birth | 17 September 1931 | ||
Place of birth | Middlewich, England | ||
Date of death | 10 April 1996 | (aged 64)||
Place of death | Winsford, England | ||
Playing position | Centre-forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Middlewich Athletic Rangers | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
Witton Albion | |||
1953–1956 | Arsenal | 1 | (0) |
1956–1957 | Sheffield United | 29 | (16) |
1957–1959 | Port Vale | 80 | (39) |
1959–1961 | Exeter City | 48 | (26) |
Wellington Town | |||
Total | 158+ | (81+) | |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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, but 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.
Wilkinson played for Middlewich Athletic Rangers and Witton Albion before moving into League football with Tom Whittaker's Arsenal in October 1953. He made just one competitive appearance, in a First Division game against Leicester City on 19 February 1955; Arsenal drew 1–1. Despite consistently scoring for Arsenal's reserves he was never given another first-team chance at Highbury, and was transferred to Sheffield United in March 1956 for £5,000.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.