Thomas Johnson Britten (6 March 1858 – 24 October 1910) was a footballer. Though born and raised in rural Herefordshire in England, his birth was registered in the nearest town Presteigne across the Welsh border and he was deemed eligible to play for the Wales national football team,[2] which he did twice in 1878 and 1880. He made his debut on 23 March 1878 against Scotland and played his second and last match on 27 March 1880 against the same opposition.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Johnson Britten | ||
| Date of birth | 6 March 1858 | ||
| Place of birth | Byton, England | ||
| Date of death | 24 October 1910 (aged 52)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1878 | Parkgrove | ||
| 1880 | Presteigne | ||
| International career | |||
| 1878–1880 | Wales | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Britten had other links to Scotland as he worked in Glasgow for several years, playing for the local club Parkgrove and for a Glasgow select in an inter-city challenge match.[4] His profession as a mining engineer took him around Britain, and he appeared for several other regional representative teams (which convened fairly regularly in that era).[2] In 1880 he was playing club football in Wales for Presteigne,[5] and in 1887 he was with London club Crusaders.[6] He declined the offer of another Wales cap at least twice in the 1880s,[2][7][6] and due to his birthplace he was also invited to play for England but remained on the reserve list and never made an appearance.[2][8] He later emigrated to South Africa where he was a noted figure in the field of mining machinery.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Britten, Mr Thomas Johnson (mining engineering), S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science
- ^ a b c d The English players in 1870s Scottish football, Andy Mitchell, Scottish Sport History, 12 April 2021
- ^ "Wales player database 1872 to 2013". eu-football.info. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ McBrearty, Richard (9 January 2015). "The world's earliest known black footballers". Show Racism the Red Card. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ 27 March 1880: Scotland 5-1 Wales, Welsh Soccer Archive
- ^ a b Saturday, 26 February 1887 | England 4 Wales 0, England Football Online
- ^ Saturday 3 February 1883 | England 5 Wales 0, England Football Online
- ^ Saturday, 5 April 1879 | England 5 Scotland 4, England Football Online
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