Jack Shelton (footballer)

John Shelton (1884 – 7 September 1918) was an English footballer who played as a right-half and inside-forward. He was the elder brother of George Shelton. He played for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 1908 FA Cup Final and later won minor cup competitions with Port Vale.

For the St Kilda and South Melbourne footballer, see Jack Shelton. For the other "Jack Shelton", St Kilda footballer, see John F. Shelton. For the Australian cricketer, see Jack Shelton (cricketer).

Jack Shelton
John Shelton, in a Port Vale team photo with a Senior Cup trophy.
Personal information
Full name John Edward Shelton[1]
Date of birth 1884[2]
Place of birth Wolverhampton, England[2]
Date of death 7 September 1918 (aged 33–34)[3]
Place of death Somme, France[1]
Position(s) Right-half, inside-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Willenhall Pickwick
Crompton Rovers
1907–1911 Wolverhampton Wanderers 83 (16)
1911–1918 Port Vale 139 (7)
Total 222 (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Shelton was born in Wolverhampton in 1884 and played local football for Willenhall Pickwick and Crompton Rovers,[4] before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1907.[5] The 1907–08 season was highly successful for Shelton, he scored a hat-trick against Grimsby Town in December,[6] and scored against Bradford City in the FA Cup Third Round to earn Wolves a replay.[7] The club went on to reach the 1908 FA Cup Final at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, and Shelton played in the 3–1 victory over Newcastle United.[2] In total of scored 17 goals for the club in 94 appearances.[5]

He joined Port Vale in August 1911, a club that had resigned from the Football League in 1907.[8] He was an ever-present in his debut season and was a member of the sides that won the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1912, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1913, reached the FA Cup first round in 1914 and won the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1915.[8] He guested for rivals Stoke during the war and made 26 appearances in 1915–16. He returned to Vale to become an ever-present in the 1916–17 season.[8] He was conscripted into the North Staffordshire Regiment in the summer of 1917 and was serving as a private with the 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment when he died near the Hindenburg Line in September 1918.[1][8][9][10]

Personal life

Shelton married Sarah Nicholls in 1911, and the couple had two children: John (1912) and Sarah (1914).[9] After Shelton's death, his wife went on to marry Jack Needham, his former teammate.[9]

Career statistics
Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Wolverhampton Wanderers1907–08[11]Second Division249713110
1908–09[11]Second Division33420354
1909–10[11]Second Division26320283
Total 83161119417
Port Vale1911–12[11]Central League32100321
1912–13[11]Central League34240382
1913–14[11]Central League36191452
1914–15[11]Central League37330403
Total 13971611558
Total 2222327224925

Honours
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Port Vale

References
  1. "John Edward Shelton | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. "Wolves' Edwardian FA cup winner". blackcountrybugle.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  3. "Casualty". www.cwgc.org. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 262. ISBN 9781905891610.
  5. "a to z". scribd.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  6. "The hat-tricks". wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  7. "On This Day: January 9–15". wolves.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  8. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 263. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  9. "John Shelton". Wolverhampton's War. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  10. Baggaley, Michael (12 November 2017). "Tribute to Port Vale players who gave their lives in the World Wars". stokesentinel. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  11. Jack Shelton at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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