Hydes: Arthur J E (Arthur)

1930-1938 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Barnsley: 24-11-1911

Debut: v Huddersfield Town (h) (F.A. Cup): 10-01-1931

5’8 1/2” 10st 6lb (1930)

The spikey-haired forward played for Central School Barnsley, Ardsley United and Barnsley in 1928-29, and then spent a month on trial with Southport at the start of 1929-30. He was not kept on by the Lancashire club and returned to the Barnsley area to play for Ardsley Athletic, the club from whom he was signed by Leeds in May 1930. The former toffee factory worker proved a handful for many a defender during his days with Leeds. He forced his way into the Leeds first team after going nap on 29th November 1930 with five in an 8-1 home win for the Leeds Reserves as they put Sheffield Wednesday's second string to the sword. He made his debut in an FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town on January 1931, in which he scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win. His Football League debut followed the following Saturday, 17th January 1931 but even though he scored Leeds' only goal, in the first half, which took them to half -time at 1-1, Blackburn Rovers prevailed to inflict a 1-3 home defeat on the boys from Elland Road. He became a regular member of the team from 1932 and played for Leeds until 1937, when he joined Scunthorpe & Lindsey United after eighty-two goals in one hundred and thirty-seven appearances for Leeds in all games. His goal tally included four goals against Middlesbrough in August 1933 and three other hat-tricks. He spent three consecutive seasons as Leeds’ leading scorer between 1932-33 and 1934-35 with a career best Twenty -five goals in the latter campaign, his sixteen goals in 1933-34 being scored in only nineteen games played. The 1938-39 season saw Hydes miss all but nineteen of the games through injury but he still managed to top the United goalscorers, with eleven League goals, as he took the honour for the fourth time. He made a scoring League debut and quickly developed into a player of pace and aggression. Although small for a centre-forward, he was United’s top scorer for three successive seasons from 1933 to 1936 when he notched fifty- four League goals in only eighty-eight games, easily his best period at Elland Road. Injuries checked his progress and in the 1937-38 season his appearances were restricted to just ten League games, in which he scored five goals. George Brown who had filled in for the injured Hydes top-scored with eighteen goals, but the 1938-39 season saw Hydes miss all but nineteen of the games through injury but he still managed to top the United goalscorers, with eleven League goals, as he took the honour for the fourth time. However the injuries were catching up with the marksman and he went to Newport County in May 1938, scoring thirteen goals in twenty-seven League appearances, and helping them to become Champions of Division Three South before the War ceased League football and stopped their Second Division campaign. During the War he guested for several clubs, 1939-40 saw him score once in three appearances for home-town Barnsley, play once without scoring for Bradford City, score four goals in eleven games for his own club Newport County, play once, without scoring for Nottingham Forest and score five goals in five games for York City. His own club Newport did not field teams except in the first and last seasons of the war and 1940-41 saw him play just one game for York City. His next games were not until 1945-46 season when he played twice for Newport County, before playing five times for Exeter City and joining them permanently in February 1946. Hydes made his debut for Exeter City against Bristol City at St James’ Park in a Division Three South Cup (Southern Section) fixture in February 1946. He featured in the opening four Third Division South matches of the 1946-47 season, but then requested his release from the Grecians in January 1947, stating that a succession of injuries had persuaded him it was time to retire from playing. Leg and knee injuries forced him to give up the professional game in June 1947. He did go into Non-League football with Scunthorpe and Lindsey United in the Midland League. He died in Barnsley in June 1990.