John Priestley
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Priestley | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1900 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | January 1980 (age 79) | ||
| Playing position | Half Back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| St Johnstone | |||
| 1920–1928 | Chelsea | 204 | (19) |
| 1928–1931 | Grimsby Town | 139 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
John Priestley (19 August 1900 – January 1980) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for St Johnstone, Chelsea and Grimsby Town before retiring from football.
Bornnin Glasgow, Priestley started his career with St Johnstone in Scotland before moving South of the border to join Chelsea in May 1920 at the age of nineteen. He spent eight years with the West London club until 1928 when he signed for Grimsby Town, who would go on to be promoted to Division One the following year.
Priestley didn't make his debut for the Blues until a year after he joined the club, playing in a 0-0 draw away at Blackburn Rovers on the 2nd May 1921. He wouldn't make another appearance for Chelsea until Boxing Day 1922, missing the 1921/22 season completely. Turning out for the Pensioners in a 4-0 win at Nottingham Forest, Priestley made a further 22 appearances during the season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win against Bolton Wanderers in front of a crowd of 20,000 at Stamford Bridge.
The 1923/24 season saw Priestley make 42 appearances for Chelsea, scoring twice in victories against Middlesbrough and Manchester City, though he was unable to help the London club stave off relegation to the old Division Two.
In the following season, Priestley would again feature heavily for Chelsea as the side finished 5th in Division Two, missing out on promotion by 10 points. The 1925/26 campaign proved to be more fortuitous for the Scottish Half Back as he quadrupled his goal tally from the previous year, despite making only six more appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, helping them to a 3rd-place finish in the league come the end of the season.
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