Edmondson: John

1914-1919 (Leeds City Player Details) (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Carleton: Unknown

Debut: v Arsenal (a): 06-02-1915

5’11” 11st 8lb (1914)

Leeds City saw Edmondson while he was playing in the West Lancashire League with Leyland and signed him in April 1914. He had to await his chance in the first team as Billy McLeod was the City’s leading light and record goal-scorer. He was given his chance when McLeod was injured and he took the opportunity well scoring three times in the five games he had before McLeod recovered from injury. It proved to be the last season before the Football League ceased for the duration of WW1. With the advent of WW1 a war-time League was played and Billy McLeod played with Bradford City as he was employed in Bradford. This gave Edmondson the chance to establish himself as City’s first choice Centre Forward and scored ten goals in nineteen games before he departed for the duration of the War, after playing his final game for United at that level on 22nd January 1916 in a 1-0 home win over Leicester City. On the cessation of hostilities Edmondson duly returned to Elland Road and after missing the first two games of the 1919-20 season he was ever-present from that point until the demise of the club, scoring three times in the six remaining games. He was one of the City players to be auctioned at the Metropole Hotel and he was duly sold to First Division The Wednesday for £800 on 17th October 1919. He was not able to reproduce his Leeds City form for the struggling Owls, who finished bottom of the First Division, it was more a reflection on Wednesday, who were already deep in the relegation battle on his arrival in twenty-second spot on the ladder. It did look for a while that he had come to their rescue as he scored the first goal in a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on 22nd November 1919. But their inconsistency was apparent when the Baggies went to Hillsborough the next weekend and triumphed 0-3. He scored again the following Saturday on 6th December 1919 at Roker Park but it was not sufficient as Sunderland netted twice to claim the two points. He only scored twice in fourteen appearances as the Sheffield club struggled to avoid relegation but they finished, where they had been with monotonous regularity throughout the season, firmly rooted to bottom place. He moved to Third Division South Swansea Town in May 1920 for £500 and found the going much easier against Third Division opponents and topped the Swansea scorers in his first season with the Welsh club as he scored twenty-four times in all games, including two from the penalty spot. He played thirty-two League games as the Swans finished fifth. He was not quite as prolific in his second season at the Vetch Field, scoring fifteen times in all games, including another twenty-eight League appearances, as Swansea finished twenty-first and had to apply for re-election. While at Swansea he was selected to play for the Welsh League in the 2-2 draw at Solitude in front of a 9,000 crowd in Belfast on 17th March 1923. He scored the opening goal for the Welsh League. His two season association with the Swans came to an end as he joined Exeter City in September 1923 for £300. Exeter beat both Queens Park Rangers and Chesterfield to his signature. He left the Vetch Field, having scored thirty-three goals in all games, in sixty appearances. He started well enough with the Grecians, scoring in a 3-2 debut win at St James' Park over Reading. He did play the next five without increasing his goal tally, but the next game at home to Brighton and Hove Abion, he had the misfortune to badly dislocate his shoulder and had to retire from the game having scored just one goal in six appearances for the Grecians before his enforced retirement.