Joe Payne (footballer, born 1914)

Joseph Payne (17 January 1914 – 22 April 1975) was an England international footballer, best known as the scorer of 10 goals in a match for Luton Town against Bristol Rovers on 13 April 1936. This is still a record in The Football League. Payne later played for Chelsea and, after missing six years of his career to the Second World War, West Ham United.

Joe Payne
Personal information
Full name Joseph Payne
Date of birth (1914-01-17)17 January 1914
Place of birth Brimington Common, Chesterfield, England
Date of death 22 April 1975(1975-04-22) (aged 61)
Place of death Luton, England
Position(s) Half-back, centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Bolsover Colliery
1934–1938 Luton Town 72 (83)
→ Biggleswade Town (loan)
1938–1945 Chelsea 36 (21)
1946–1947 West Ham United 10 (6)
1947–? Millwall 0 (0)
National team
1937 England 1 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career
1936: Payne (white shirt, left) scores one of his record-breaking 10 goals in one match

Payne was born in Brimington Common near Chesterfield, and worked as a coalminer as a teenager. He was spotted playing as a centre-forward for Bolsover Colliery and signed by Luton Town in 1934. There, he played mostly for the reserve team as a half-back, and spent time on loan to Biggleswade Town.[1][2]

Payne made his League debut for Luton on 29 December 1934, against Southend United, and he made one further appearance during his initial season. The 1935–36 season saw Payne start four games as half-back, the last of which came on 21 September 1935 against Crystal Palace, and he did not play for the club again until 13 April 1936, in a match against Bristol Rovers.[3] Due to injuries to Jack Ball and Bill Boyd, Payne was played at centre-forward and scored 10 goals, still a Football League record, in a 12–0 win. He received a £2 win bonus for the match, in addition to his £4 weekly wage.[1][4] The following season, Payne scored a club record 55 goals in 39 matches as the Hatters won the Third Division South championship.[3] In May 1937, he made his only appearance for England, scoring two goals in the 8–0 victory over Finland at the Töölön Pallokenttä.[5]

In March 1938, he was bought by Chelsea for a large fee, reported as around £5,000.[6] In September 1941, Payne was hospitalised with acute pneumonia.[7] His career was interrupted by the Second World War but he continued to be a prolific scorer in wartime competitions, and played once for hometown club Chesterfield in an 8–0 win over Notts County in December 1944.[2][8]

In December 1946, Payne joined West Ham United, where he made 11 appearances in his single season with the club.[9] He then joined Millwall but he had been suffering from persistent ankle injuries and never made a League appearance.[2]

Death and legacy

Payne died in Luton on 22 April 1975, aged 61.[10] On 13 April 2006, to mark the 70th anniversary of his 10-goal record, a plaque was unveiled by Geoff Thompson, then chairman of the Football Association, on the wall of the Miner's Arms public house in Manor Road, Brimington Common. The site is adjacent to the now-demolished house where he used to live, and overlooks a park where he played football. The unveiling was attended by two of Payne's nephews.[3][8] A lounge at Kenilworth Road stadium was named in honour of Payne.

References
  1. Wash, Roger (13 April 2016). "It Was 80 Years Ago Today...Ten Goal Joe Payne". Luton Town F.C. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  2. "On this day in football history". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. "OTD: The Great Joe Payne". Luton Town F.C. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. Jones, Iain. "Throwback Thursdays: Luton Town's Joe Payne Hits Rovers for Ten". Footy Fair. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. "England Players - Joe Payne". England Football Online. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  6. "Joe Payne Transferred to Chelsea". Nottingham Journal. 12 March 1938. p. 11. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. Chelsea yesterday afternoon secured from Luton the transfer of Joe Payne, the brilliant marksman who holds the individual scoring record. The actual fee is not stated, but is believed to be somewhere near £5,000.
  7. "Pneumonia". Evening Despatch. 24 September 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. Joe Payne, Chelsea forward and holder of the Football League individual scoring record with 10 goals in a match, is in hospital in Luton suffering from acute pneumonia.
  8. Tanner, Bill (7 April 2006). "Plaque to honour memory of Joe "10 Goal" Payne". 24housing. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  9. "Joe Payne". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  10. "Joe Payne". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
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