| John Alexander | |
| Fullname: | John David Alexander |
| Birth Date: | 24 September 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Middlesbrough, England |
| Height: | [1] |
| Position: | Forward |
| Youthyears1: | – |
| Youthclubs1: | Darlington |
| Years1: | 2002–2004 |
| Caps1: | 4 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2002–2003 |
| Clubs2: | → Bishop Auckland (loan) |
| Years3: | 2004 |
| Clubs3: | → Bishop Auckland (loan) |
| Years4: | 2004 |
| Clubs4: | Billingham Synthonia |
| Years5: | 2004 |
| Clubs5: | Stetson Hatters |
| Years6: | 2005 |
| Clubs6: | Billingham Synthonia |
| Years7: | 2006–200? |
| Clubs7: | Marske United |
| Years8: | 200?–2009 |
| Clubs8: | Billingham Town |
| Years9: | 2009–2011 |
| Clubs9: | Blyth Spartans |
| Years10: | 2011 |
| Clubs10: | Spennymoor Town |
| Years11: | 2011 |
| Clubs11: | Blyth Spartans |
| Years12: | 2011 |
| Clubs12: | → Ashington (loan) |
| Caps12: | 0 |
| Goals12: | 0 |
| Years13: | 2011–2012 |
| Clubs13: | Norton & Stockton Ancients |
| Years14: | 2012 |
| Clubs14: | Newcastle Benfield |
| Years15: | 2012–2014 |
| Goals15: | 22 |
| Years16: | 2014– |
| Clubs16: | Crook Town |
John David Alexander (born 24 September 1985) is an English footballer who made four appearances in the Football League playing as a forward for Darlington in the 2000s.[2] While still at Darlington, he had loan spells at Northern Premier League club Bishop Auckland, and went on to play non-league football in the north-east of England for a number of clubs, mostly in the Northern League. He also played American college soccer for the Stetson Hatters.
Alexander was born in Middlesbrough,[2] and despite receiving offers of a traineeship from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, began his football career in the youth system of Darlington in June 2002.[3] He was included among the substitutes for the Division Three match against Carlisle United on 27 August, chosen in preference to the injured Danny Mellanby and the out-of-form Mark Sheeran, but remained unused.[4] The 16-year-old Alexander was given his debut the following Saturday, as a second-half substitute in the visit to Kidderminster Harriers. He entered the game together with Neil Wainwright and Phil Hadland just after the home side had taken a lead, and the energy of the fresh players helped Darlington exert enough pressure to draw the match.[5]
A trial with Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, in which he scored twice for their under-17 team against Tottenham Hotspur under-17s, came to nothing,[6] and Alexander made no more first-team appearances before December, when he joined Northern Premier League club Bishop Auckland on loan.[7] He returned to Darlington's first team in December 2003, when he made three appearances, each time as a late substitute. After another brief loan spell with Bishop Auckland,[8] Alexander was released in April 2004 and signed for Billingham Synthonia.
He scored on his Northern League debut, against Dunston Federation,[9] and finished the season with the club. He then took up a place at Stetson University, in DeLand, Florida, where he played college soccer for the Stetson Hatters.[10] He helped them reach the 2004 Atlantic Sun Conference post-season tournament,[11] but was sent off in the quarter-final match which the Hatters lost after two periods of overtime.[12] He returned to Billingham Synthonia in January 2005,[13] and took his total appearances for the club to 18, with two goals.[14]
Alexander signed for Marske United in January 2006,[15] and was Billingham Town's top Northern League scorer in 2008–09 with 21 goals.[16] He joined Conference North club Blyth Spartans ahead of the next season, and scored six goals from 56 appearances in all competitions for them over two seasons.[17] He then signed for Northern League champions Spennymoor Town, but only four weeks into the season and having scored four times already, he was transfer-listed and returned to Blyth.[18] After four more games for Blyth, and a loan spell with Ashington during which he played once, in the Northern League Cup, Alexander signed for fellow Northern League club Norton & Stockton Ancients.[19] In March, he made a sideways move to Newcastle Benfield,[20] where he finished the season.
In 2012 pre-season, Alexander had a trial with former club Darlington, who had lost most of their players after administrative demotion to the Northern League, but no contract ensued,[21] and he remained with Benfield until rejoining another former club, Marske United, in another sideways move in October.[22] He was their top scorer in 2013–14 with 21 goals in all competitions, 14 in league matches,[23] and started in the Northern League Cup final as Marske beat Whitley Bay 2–1 after extra time.[24] In October 2014, he joined yet another Northern League club, Crook Town.[25]