Harold Fleming (footballer)

Harold John Fleming (30 April 1887 – 23 August 1955) was an English footballer who played for Swindon Town and the national team.

Harold Fleming
Personal information
Full name Harold John Fleming
Date of birth 30 April 1887
Place of birth Downton, Wiltshire, England
Date of death 23 August 1955(1955-08-23) (aged 68)
Position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
St. Marks
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1907–1924 Swindon Town 295 (182)
National team
1909–1914 England 11 (9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Fleming was an inside forward and began his career at St. Marks before being invited for a trial at Swindon Town by manager, Sam Allen. Fleming scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Salisbury and was swiftly signed on a full-time basis.

Harold Fleming became a Swindon Town legend scoring 203 times in 332 games for Swindon and if not for World War I his career may have been more successful. He worked as a physical education instructor during the conflict.

Fleming's legendary status in the minds of Swindon supporters is cemented by a road named after the forward close to the County Ground named Fleming Way and a statue which stands in the club's foyer. (During his career, he also had a style of football boot named after him.)

Swindon Town career details

SeasonTeamLeague AppsLeague GoalsCup AppsCup Goals
1923-24 Swindon Town5352
1922-23 Swindon Town14410
1921-22 Swindon Town241122
1920-21 Swindon Town261611
1919-20 Swindon Town201020
1914-15 Swindon Town231220
1913-14 Swindon Town241811
1912-13 Swindon Town12921
1911-12 Swindon Town201665
1910-11 Swindon Town301942
1909-10 Swindon Town331967
1908-09 Swindon Town342810
1907-08 Swindon Town301740

England career

Fleming remains the only Swindon player to have represented England at senior level while playing for the club - gaining 11 caps between 1909 and 1914.

CapDateVenueOppositionAtt.ResultGoals
1 3 April 1909Crystal PalaceScotland40,000(W) 2-00
2 29 May 1909BudapestHungary10,000(W) 4-21
3 31 May 1909BudapestScotland13,000(W) 8-22
4 12 February 1910BelfastIreland25,000(D) 1-11
5 14 March 1910CardiffWales20,000(W) 1-00
6 11 February 1911DerbyIreland20,000(W) 2-10
7 13 March 1911MillwallWales22,000(W) 3-00
8 10 February 1912DublinIreland15,000(W) 6-13
9 17 March 1913BristolWales8,000(W) 4-31
10 5 April 1913ChelseaScotland52,500(W) 1-00
11 4 April 1914GlasgowScotland127,307(L) 1-31

Family

Harold Fleming was the son of Fredrick Henry Fleming (born 19 May 1850), and had one brother (Fredrick Edwin) and two sisters (Ella and Edith). All four went on to have children, including a daughter (Meriel) for Harold.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.