John Moore (footballer, born 1923)

John William Michael Moore (25 September 1923 – September 2012) was an English footballer who played in the Football League as a wing-half for Brentford and Colchester United.[1]

John Moore
Personal information
Full name John William Michael Moore[1]
Date of birth (1923-09-25)25 September 1923
Place of birth Chiswick, England
Date of death September 2012 (aged 88)[1]
Place of death Wandsworth, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m)[2]
Position(s) Wing-half
Youth career
1938–1939 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1948 Brentford 4 (0)
1948–1949 Gloucester City
1949–1952 Colchester United 15 (0)
Staines Town
Hastings United
Total 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Born in Chiswick, London, Moore represented London and Middlesex as a schoolboy and joined First Division side Brentford as a junior after leaving school.[3] The club wanted Moore to sign a professional contract, but the suspension of competitive football due to the breakout of the Second World War in 1939.[3] During the war, Moore guested with Manchester City, Derry City and along with other serving footballers Bill Baxter, Bobby Mitchell and John Aston, won a cup final with Australian club Canterbury-Bankstown, played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[3] After the war, Moore received interest from First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers, but returned to Brentford after Harry Curtis offered him a professional contract.[3]

Moore made his Brentford debut on 10 May 1947 in a 1–0 defeat against Bolton Wanderers in the First Division, the first full season following World War II.[4] Behind Archie Macaulay in the pecking order,[3] Moore only made four appearances for the club and played his last game in a 3–0 defeat at Luton Town in the Second Division on 3 September 1947.[4] He saw out his time with the Bees in the reserve team.[3]

On leaving Brentford, Moore turned down a move to Second Division side Leeds United and signed for Gloucester City in the Southern League,[3] where he made 52 appearances and scored 13 goals during the 1948–49 season[5] before joining fellow Southern League club Colchester United at the end of the season for a fee of £1,000.[6][2][7]

Moore was signed as an understudy to Harry Bearryman,[2] and made his first-team debut on 8 September 1949 in a 3–1 away defeat at Chingford Town.[8] He was unable to displace Bill Layton from the first-team and by January 1950 was made captain of the reserve team.[2] He made 13 Southern League appearances for the club,[9] helping the team finish as runners-up in the league and gain election to the Football League.[10] In the Football League, Moore did not make an appearance during Colchester's inaugural 1950–51 season,[2] but made two appearances for the club in 1951–52.[11]

Moore left Layer Road in the summer of 1952[2] following his final game on 5 January 1952, a 7–0 demolition by Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road.[12] He joined Yeovil on trial in October of the same year but after a fortnight returned to London, looking for a club closer to his home. He later played for Staines Town and Hastings United,[3] the latter club managed by his brother-in-law Ted Ballard.[13]

Personal life

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Moore attended Chiswick School and during the Second World War, he served in the Fleet Air Arm.[3] After his retirement from football, Moore became a car salesman.[2] In August 1997, at age 74, he was working as a chauffeur.[3]

Honours

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Colchester United
All honours referenced by:[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "John Moore". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Chesterfield 16/08/97. Poole: Quay Design of Poole. p. 22.
  4. ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 379. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ Clark, Timothy R.D.; Kujawa, Rob (2009). The Complete Record of Gloucester City AFC 1883–2009. Gloucester: Tiger Timbo Publications. ISBN 978-0-9557425-1-4
  6. ^ "Colchester United – Player profile". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Tiger Roar – Johnny Moore". www.tigerroar.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Colchester United – Match details – Chingford Town 3–1 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Colchester United – Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Southern League". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  11. ^ "COLCHESTER UNITED:1950/51–1989/90 & 1992/93–2011/12". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Colchester United – Match details – Leyton Orient 7–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  13. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 110. ISBN 978-0955294914.