Joe Little

Joseph Little (25 January 1902 – 1965) was an English footballer who made 95 appearances in the Football League playing at outside left or left half for Plymouth Argyle, Darlington, Bradford Park Avenue and Rotherham United in the 1920s. He also played non-league football for Castleford Town.[1]

For other people with similar names, see Joseph Little.

Joe Little
Personal information
Full name Joseph Little[1]
Date of birth (1902-01-25)25 January 1902[1]
Place of birth Leeds, England
Date of death 1965
Position(s) Outside left / left half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Castleford Town
1920–1925 Plymouth Argyle 7 (0)
1925–1927 Darlington 62 (13)
1927–1929 Bradford Park Avenue 2 (1)
1929–1930 Rotherham United 24 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career

Little was born in Leeds,[1] and began his senior football career with Midland League club Castleford Town. Together with teammates Walter Cook and Cecil Eastwood, he transferred to Plymouth Argyle in May 1920, ahead of the club's first season in the newly formed Football League Third Division. The players were allowed to remain with Castleford to play in the remaining rounds of the West Riding Senior Cup;[2] they won the semifinal, but lost 3–1 to Huddersfield Town in the final.[3]

He made his Football League debut on 8 September for an injury-hit Argyle team at home to Crystal Palace, forming a new left-wing pairing with Billy Kellock; the Daily Express reporter felt their inclusion "did not improve the combination" between the forwards.[4] Little himself was injured during the match, and did not play again that season. Cartilage problems in both knees restricted him to just seven appearances in four seasons[5] – the Derby Daily Telegraph described him as "well known in the South as one of the unluckiest men who ever received a pay packet from the Plymouth Argyle club"[6] – and he was made available on a free transfer in 1924.[7]

Restored to fitness, Little signed for Second Division club Darlington early in the 1925–26 season.[8] He enjoyed regular football, with 13 goals from 62 league appearances by the end of the following season,[1] when the team were relegated to the third tier. In August 1927 he moved on to Bradford Park Avenue of the Third Division North.[9] He contributed one goal from two appearances[1] as Bradford won the title and promotion to the Second Division. The club re-signed him for the coming season,[10] but he appeared only in the reserve team,[1][11] and he moved on to Rotherham United at the end of the 1928–29 season.[12] He scored on debut for Rotherham, in a 5–4 defeat away to Tranmere Rovers, and played 24 times for the club, initially in his usual position of left-sided forward, and later at left half.[13]

Little died in 1965.[1]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. "Castleford Town Club". Yorkshire Post. 6 May 1920. p. 14 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "West Riding Cup Final. Castleford's plucky fight against Huddersfield Town". Yorkshire Evening Post. 15 May 1920. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Palace sparkle. Argyle lucky to escape with narrow defeat". Daily Express. London. 9 September 1920. p. 6.
  5. "Joe Little". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  6. "Promotion Points. The Little Quaker". Derby Daily Telegraph. 7 November 1925. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Plymouth Argyle and promotion. Club confident of success". Western Morning News. Plymouth. 26 September 1924. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Shots at Goal". Lincolnshire Echo. 26 September 1925. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "Yorkshire football clubs' prospects for 1927–8". Yorkshire Evening Post. 13 August 1927. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Signed for Bradford". Yorkshire Post. 17 May 1928. p. 19 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Untitled". Yorkshire Post. 29 August 1928. p. 16 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "City reserves routed". Yorkshire Post. 29 November 1928. p. 17 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Sporting items". Nottingham Evening Post. 13 July 1929. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "A–Z Past Players (Pre-1939)". Rotherham United F.C. Archived from the original (DOC) on 8 February 2012.
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