Kirton: John (Jock)

WW2 Guest: 1943-1944 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Wing Half

Born: Aberdeen: 04-03-1916

Debut: v Doncaster Rovers (a): 23-10-1943

Height & Weight: Unknown

After starting with local Junior sides St. Marchers and Banks o' Dee, Kirton, a Scottish Schoolboy International, signed for First Division Stoke City in November 1935 and went on to give the Potters sixteen years of good service. By the time World War Two brought a halt to the Football League fixtures he had played fifty-seven League games and seven games in the F.A. Cup. He continue to play for the club throughout the War, although he did guest for other clubs. He made four appearances in both 1939-40 and 1940-41, seven in 1941-42 and just one in 1942-43. He scored one goal in eight appearances in 1943-44 and another goal in 1944-45 from eleven games and his twenty-five appearances in 1945-46 brought his War-time appearances for Stoke to sixty. He guested with both Nottingham clubs, firstly with Nottingham Forest in 1939-40 when he had seven games, followed by fourteen in 1940-41 and nine in 1941-42. Then he joined County, playing eighteen games in 1942-43 and seven games in 1943-44. He was also a guest with Leeds United in the 1943-44 Football League Northern Section and played four times in the First Championship and twice in the Second Championship. He made his debut at Right Half in the 3-3 draw in the away fixture with Doncaster Rovers on 23rd October 1943. Three games later he was at Left Half in the 2-2 draw with Bradford Park Avenue at Elland Road and then played in both of the last two games of the campaign against Huddersfield Town, at Left Half as United went down 0-3 at Elland Road and at Right Half as they repeated the score-line at Leeds Road. In the Second Championship he played on Boxing Day in the first game at Bradford Park Avenue at Right Half as United went down 1-2 and then in the final game at Halifax Town at Left Half in a 2-5 defeat at The Shay. He returned to Stoke City after the War and played for them until July 1953 when he signed for Bradford City. In that period he Captained Stoke and scored twice in one hundred and sixty-two League games and also played another twenty-three F.A. Cup ties. A total of two goals in two hundred and nineteen League and thirty F.A, Cup games. His League goals came on 12th October 1946 in a 5-2 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the second on 3rd September 1949 in a 3-2 win over Derby County at the Baseball Ground. He only stayed at Valley Parade for one season and made eight League appearances before going into Non-League football with Hinckley Athletic and then Downings Tileries before retiring. He was capped for Scotland once in War Internationals at Left Half at Wembley in a 6-2 win for England on 19th February 1944. He died on 12th March 1996 in Stoke-on-Trent aged eighty.