John Bainbridge (footballer) explained

John Bainbridge
Fullname:John Robert Bainbridge
Birth Date:1880
Birth Place:Seaham, England
Death Date: (aged 79)
Death Place:Sunderland, England
Position:Forward
Years1:1903–1904
Years2:1904–1906
Years3:1906–1907
Years4:1907–1910
Years5:1910–1911
Clubs5:Hartlepools United
Caps3:25
Caps4:84
Goals3:4
Goals4:20

John Robert Bainbridge (1880 in Seaham, County Durham – 17 January 1960 in Sunderland, County Durham) was a professional footballer who played as a forward for three Southern League clubs between 1903 and 1910.

Football career

Bainbridge started his footballing career in the North East with Silksworth and Sunderland Royal Rovers, before turning professional with Glossop in May 1903.

In the summer of 1904 he moved South to join Reading where he spent two seasons before joining Portsmouth in 1906.[1] After a season at Portsmouth, he moved along the South coast to join Southampton in May 1907.

According to Holley & Chalk's The Alphabet of the Saints, Bainbridge was "a reliable performer. His right-wing partnership with Frank Jefferis drew favourable comparisons with the famed duo of Wood and Turner seven years earlier".[2]

In Saints' FA Cup run in 1908, in which they reached the semi-finals, he scored 4 goals in 6 games. Ill health ended his career at The Dell and he returned to his native North-East where, after playing briefly for Hartlepools United, he returned to his original occupation as coal-miner.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dave Juson & others . Saints v Pompey - A history of unrelenting rivalry. Hagiology Publishing . 2004. 0-9534474-5-6.
  2. Book: Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk . The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing . 1992. 17. 0-9514862-3-3.
  3. Book: Gary Chalk & Duncan Holley . Saints - A complete record. Breedon Books. 1987. 0-907969-22-4.