Jack Pryce

John Pryce (25 January 1874 – December 1905), also known as Jack or Johnny Pryce, was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a centre forward or inside forward in the Scottish League for Renton and Hibernian, in the English Football League for Glossop North End and Sheffield Wednesday, and in the Southern League for Queens Park Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Jack Pryce
Personal information
Full name John Pryce[1]
Date of birth (1874-01-25)25 January 1874[1]
Place of birth Renton, Scotland
Date of death December 1905 (1906-01) (aged 31)
Place of death Renton, Scotland
Position(s) Centre forward, inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1893–1896 Renton
1896–1898 Hibernian 34 (13)
1898–1899 Glossop North End 20 (6)
1899–1901 Sheffield Wednesday 54 (5)
1901–1903 Queens Park Rangers 20 (2)
1903–1905 Brighton & Hove Albion 23 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Pryce was born in Renton, Dunbartonshire, in 1874.[2] He joined his local Scottish League club, Renton, in 1893.[1] He helped them reach the 1895 Scottish Cup Final, taking two replays to beat Dundee in the semi-finals, but the then Second Division club lost 2–1 to St Bernard's.[1][3]

In May 1896, Pryce moved on to Hibernian.[1] He was ever-present as Hibs finished runners-up in his first season, and his 11 goals from 20 matches in league and cup made him the club's top scorer.[4][5] He was selected at centre forward for Scotland's team to play Wales in the Home Championships in March 1927,[6] but had to withdraw because of injury.[1][7] In his second season with Hibs, he scored 3 goals from 16 matches as his team finished a distant third.[8][9]

In the 1898 close season, Pryce became one of numerous Scottish professionals enticed over the border by Samuel Hill-Wood, then the wealthy and ambitious owner of Glossop North End, newly elected to the English Second Division, who would later become chairman of Arsenal. Pryce contributed 6 goals from 20 league matches as the team finished as runners-up and were promoted to the First Division, by which time he had moved on to Sheffield Wednesday, already a top-tier club.[1][2][10]

Pryce's arrival failed to lift his new club off the foot of the table, but he was involved in a strange ending to a match. In November 1898, After Wednesday's match at home to Aston Villa in November 1898 was abandoned after 79 minutes because of bad light, the Football Association ordered it to be completed at a later date. On 13 March 1899, the remaining 11 minutes were duly played, but with several changes in personnel, one of which was the inclusion of Pryce, who had not even been at the club at the time of the original fixture.[11] He played in 31 of the 34 Second Division matches as Wednesday won the 1899–1900 title and returned to the top flight, and played in about half of the First Division fixtures in 1900–01.[12]

Pryce then spent two seasons with Queens Park Rangers: he played in half of a possible 30 Southern League matches in his first season but appeared in only 5 in 1902–03.[13] He joined another Southern League club, Brighton & Hove Albion, in October 1903, made his debut in December, and was ever-present until the end of the season, but played only twice in 1904–05.[1]

He returned to his native Scotland, where an accident left him unable to work and thus unable to support his wife and three children.[14][15] In late October 1905, he was reported to be "lying very ill at Renton, there being faint hopes of his recovery."[15] A benefit match arranged in mid-November between Old Rentonians, featuring well-known players including Scotland internationals James McCall], Neil McCallum, Duncan McLean and John Murray, and the Scottish Amateurs was well supported.[14][16] Pryce died at Renton in early December at the age of 30.[3]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hibernian 1896–97[8] Scottish First Division1810212011
1897–98[8] Scottish First Division16341204
Total 3413624015
Glossop North End 1898–99[2][17] Football League Second Division20642248
Sheffield Wednesday 1898–99[12] Football League First Division70—70
1898–99[12] Football League Second Division31430344
1898–99[12] Football League First Division16110171
Total 54540585
Queens Park Rangers 1901–02[18] Southern League First Division15230182
1902–03[18] Southern League First Division500050
Total 20230232
Brighton & Hove Albion 1901–02[1] Southern League First Division21500215
1902–03[1] Southern League First Division200020
Total 23500235
Career total 1513117416835
  1. Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup

Honours

Renton

Hibernian

Glossop North End

Sheffield Wednesday

References
  1. Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  2. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  3. "Another gone". The Scottish Referee. 11 December 1905. p. 1. The death has just taken place of Johnny Pryce, the well-known Renton, Edinburgh Hibs, Glossop, and Sheffield Wednesday forward, who passed away at Renton last week. Deceased was about thirty years of age, and one of the best centre forwards that the Rentonians have produced for some time. He was a native of Renton, and well known. He was one of the Renton team who played against St Bernard's in the final of the Scottish Cup in the season 1894–95, while he was also one of the eleven which played for Renton in the same competition, when they played three games with Dundee in the semi-final tie before the Rentonians gained the verdict. ... He met with an accident some time ago, and his death was not unexpected.
  4. "Hibernan: Player records by season". Fitbastats. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. "1896–1897 Division 1". The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  6. "Sporting". Falkirk Herald. 10 March 1897. p. 6.
  7. "Wales v. Scotland". Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald. 26 March 1897. p. 3.
  8. "Pryce, John". Fitbastats. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  9. "1897–1898 Division 1". SPFL. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  10. Conn, David (10 May 2009). "Ghosts of Arsenal's ruling family escort Glossop to FA Vase final". The Observer. London. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  11. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. p. 5.
  12. Jackson, Stuart. "John Pryce". The Sheffield Wednesday Archive. Adrian Bullock. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  13. "1901/02" (XLS) and Westerberg, Kenneth. "1902/03" (XLS). QPRnet. Ron Norris. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  14. Our 'Roving Commissioner' (27 October 1905). "Round the Country. A deserving object". The Scottish Referee. p. 1.
  15. "Charity, priceless virtue". The Scottish Referee. 3 November 1905. p. 1.
  16. "Pryce's benefit". The Scottish Referee. 13 November 1905. p. 1. We are pleased to state that the tickets are going strong, and that a big gate is expected.
  17. For FA Cup: "North End v. New Brighton". Manchester Courier. 31 October 1898. p. 9.
    "Glossop v. Crewe". Lancashire Daily Post. 19 November 1898. p. 3.
    "Division 7. Glossop North End v. Stockport County". Sporting Life. London. 12 December 1898. p. 3.
    "Match detail: Newcastle v. Glossop North End: 28/01/1899". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  18. Westerberg, Kenneth. "1901/02" (XLS) and "1902/03" (XLS). QPRnet. Ron Norris. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  19. Jackson, Stuart. "Season 1899–1900". The Sheffield Wednesday Archive. Adrian Bullock. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
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