Swan: John (Jack)

1921-1925 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Seaham Harbour, Co Durham: 10-07-1892

Debut v Hull City (a): 19-11-1921

5’10” 11st 7lb (1922)

The Durham born forward began with Seaham Harbour before joining Huddersfield Town in October 1919 and played in Town’s 1920 FA Cup Final side that lost 1-0 to Aston Villa after extra time, a competition in which he scored three times in six games. However, he did score nineteen goals in thirty two League appearances as Town finished runners-up to Tottenham Hotspur. He followed this with eight goals in twenty-six games as Town came seventeenth in their first season in the top flight. In the 1921-22 season he lost his place to England International Clem Stephenson, who had guested for Leeds City in World War One, and Swan had scored three goals in nine League games before he joined Leeds United in November 1921. He had scored thirty goals in sixty-seven League games and three goals in seven F.A. Cup ties while at Leeds Road. He was an experienced player when he came to Elland Road and he soon applied it to full effect as his goals helped his new club to push for promotion. He missed just two games after arriving at Leeds and netted ten goals in twenty-two games in the League and scored in his only F.A. Cup game as Leeds finished in eighth place just seven points away from promotion. He had scored twice in three games at the start of the 1922-23 season when he was given a ban by the club for absenting himself from the home game with Southampton on 4th September 1922. He missed three games before returning, but the Leeds forwards went through a spell of seven games where they failed to score in five. This saw the purchase of Percy Whipp and later Joe Richmond but it was a long while before Swan and his fellow forwards combined well as he finished with eight goals in twenty-three League games and two in two F.A. Cup-ties, as Leeds finished seventh just four points away from promotion. When the 1923-24 campaign kicked off, United had Durham centre-forward, Joe Richmond, in action and he, Whipp and Swan spearheaded the promotion charge which took United into the top division for the first time. Swan top-scored with eighteen goals in thirty-six League appearances as the trio scored forty-four goals between them and United finished as champions. He continued his good form in the first season in the top flight, being ever-present in the first twenty-four games, but, although he again topped the Leeds scorers with eleven goals in twenty-seven games the purchase of the young Tom Jennings, Russell Wainscott and Willis Edwards put the writing on the wall for himself and Joe Richmond, as Leeds struggled to survive in the top flight. Swan was still noted for his thunderbolt shooting with his left foot, but there was no place for him in the Whipp, Jennings, Wainscoat strike force at the start of the 1925-26 season and he moved to Third Division South side, Watford, for £1,000 in September 1925. He made his debut for the Hornets in a 3-1 home win over Norwich City on 9th September 1925 and went on to score twenty-one goals in thirty-six League games in the 1925-26 season as Watford finished fifteenth. He had scored six goals in eighteen League appearances in the 1926-27 season, when he again hit disciplinary problems and he played his final game for the club in a 2-2 home draw with Swindon Town on 8th January 1927 after being issued with a sine die ban. He moved to another Third Division South team, Queens Park Rangers, for £300 in February 1927, after having scored twenty-seven goals, including one from the penalty spot, in fifty four League appearances and netted another four in five F.A. Cup-ties. He was not so prolific at Loftus Road, with one goal in fourteen League games in 1926-27 and four in fourteen League games in 1927-28 before leaving on a free transfer to newly founded Thames Association in July 1928, who played in the Southern League, Eastern Section. He remained with them until he joined Southern League, Western Section side Lovells Athletic, in October 1929. In 1986 he was living in Hendon and at that time it was believed that no one still alive had played in an earlier FA Cup Final than he had. He was invited to see the Centenary Cup Final at Wembley as a VIP guest as the longest surviving Cup Final player, having played for Huddersfield Town in 1920. Unfortunately, he later died in Hendon in January 1990.