Short: John David (John)

1937-1948 (Player Details) (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Gateshead: 25-01-1921

Debut v Preston North End (a): 31-08-1946

5’10” 12st 0lb (1953)

Short emerged during wartime football and went on to enjoy a lengthy and productive career. Leeds signed him in January 1938 from Gateshead junior club St Hilda’s, and, while he did not play for United before the Second World War, his thirty-six goals in fifty-eight wartime matches for Leeds confirmed his pedigree. As a teenager he had Eric Stephenson, Aubrey Powell, Gordon Hodgson and George Ainsley in front of him, but in the war years there was usually more chance as others became unavailable. During the Second World War he was employed in a munitions factory on Tyneside, which meant that he was only available for Leeds when they played in the vacinity or when transport could be arranged. He made his Wartime debut at Inside Right in a 1-2 defeat at Hartlepools United on 16th March 1940 and scored his first goal as he helped himself to a brace in a 3-1 win over York City at Elland Road in his second game for the club on 23rd March 1940 and went on to score three goals in seven appearances in the 1939-40 Football League North-East Division. The 1940-41 North Regional League saw him score seven goals in twelve games as he played once in each of the forward positions in addition to his usual Inside Right spot. In the next season, the 1941-42 Football League Northern Section, he scored four times in five appearances, of which four were at Outside Right in the First Championship and made a lone appearance at Inside Left without scoring in the Second Championship. In the 1942-43 Football League Northern Section he scored five times in four appearances at Inside Left in the First Championship and the Second Championship saw him score twice in four games, with three at Inside Right and one at Inside Left. He played solely at Inside Right in the 1943-44 Football League Northern Section and scored twice in three games in the First Championship and once in two games in the Second Championship. The 1944-45 Football League Northern Section saw him score six goals in five games, of which two were at Centre Forward in the First Championship and two goals in four games, with one at Inside Left, in the Second Championship. Short had one of his eleven appearances at Outside Right in the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section, the last in the War period, and he scored four goals. He also played in both Legs of the F.A. Cup tie against Middlesbrough and scored one goal in the home game. He did play for several other clubs during the War. In the 1939-40 season, he played once for Halifax Town, without scoring and then he gave his services to Newcastle United, scoring twice in four appearances in 1940-41, seventeen in twenty games in 1941-42 and sixteen in nineteen games in 1942-43. He also played once for Sunderland and once for Bradford Park Avenue, without scoring in that season. He then started aiding Hartlepool United and went on to become their leading goalscorer in War-time games, scoring twenty-two goals in thirty-one appearances in the 1943-44 season, fourteen in twenty-four games in 1944-45 and eleven in twelve games in 1945-46. In 1944-45 he played one game for Middlesbrough, without scoring. After the war, he returned to Leeds and made his League debut for them on the opening day of the 1946-47 season. Short was a regular in United’s weakened and struggling team as Leeds were ignominiously relegated from Division One in the first season of peacetime League football. He started off as a regular in United’s woeful second peacetime season as they narrowly avoided relegation from the Second Division but, after the arrival of Ken Chisholm, he lost his first team spot in the second half of the season. After the departure of Aubrey Powell to Everton, he regained his place for the first seven games, but the arrival of Tommy Burden saw him out of favour and he was transferred to Millwall in November 1948, for £4,000. He made his debut for them on 6th November 1948 in a 1-3 home defeat by Torquay United. With the Lions he was initially at Inside forward and had scored nine goals in twenty-three League appearances in his first season which included a hat-trick in his second game in a 6-5 win at Walsall on 13th November 1948. After that he moved back to right half, where he became a regular and amassed nineteen goals in two hundred and forty-four Leagames and a further goal in twenty-two F.A. Cup ties until he played his final game at the Den in a 2-4 loss to Newport County on 12th November 1955. While at the Den he had used his time to good effect, obtaining his F.A. Coach and physiotherapy qualifications. At that point he became the Lion's trainer coach. In June 1960 he became Huddersfield Town’s coach and the following year occupied a similar post with Sheffield United, where he was appointed Assistant Manager to John Harris in August 1969. He was later chief scout and Youth team Manager for the Blades before turning to his second qualification and becoming the physiotherapist at Gillingham in January 1978 and a similar position at Chesterfield in October 1981. In the summer of 1983 he was appointed trainer at Notts County before retiring in 1984. He died at Nottingham in June 1986.