# Joe Blake > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Blake > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Blake.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Blake > Source revision: 1301388433 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **John Joseph Blake** (1882 – 23 February 1931) was an English [footballer](/source/Association_football) who played as an [outside-forward](/source/Outside-forward) for [Southampton](/source/Southampton_F.C.) in the early part of the twentieth century. ## Football career Blake was born in [Belchamp Walter](/source/Belchamp_Walter), near [Sudbury](/source/Sudbury,_Suffolk) and played his youth football with the [Church of England Young Men's Society](/source/C.E.Y.M.S.) before moving to London to train as a [draughtsman](/source/Technical_drawing).[1] Whilst in London he played as an amateur for [Ilford](/source/Ilford_F.C.) and [Tottenham Hotspur](/source/Tottenham_Hotspur_F.C.) (in their [Western League](/source/Western_Football_League) side).[1] He then took up employment in [Cowes](/source/Cowes) on the [Isle of Wight](/source/Isle_of_Wight) and turned out for [the local team](/source/Cowes_F.C.), from where he was invited to make the occasional guest appearance for [Southampton](/source/Southampton_F.C.) reserves in 1905.[1] Following a move to [the Thornycroft shipyard](/source/John_I._Thornycroft_%26_Company) in [Woolston](/source/Woolston,_Southampton) he was able to play for the "Saints" on a more regular basis, and on 6 October 1906, he was called into the [first-team](/source/First_team_(association_football)#F) for a [Southern League](/source/Southern_Football_League) match against [Millwall](/source/Millwall_F.C.). Playing at [outside-right](/source/Outside-right), Blake scored in a 5–1 victory, but that was his only appearance that season, during which manager [Ernest Arnfield](/source/Ernest_Arnfield) tried nine different players on the right-wing.[2] Blake's next appearances came in March/April 1908, when he played three matches at [outside-left](/source/Outside-left) in place of [Bert Hodgkinson](/source/Bert_Hodgkinson).[3] Equally at home on either wing, Blake was awarded a professional contract in 1908,[1] from when on his appearances were more frequent. In the 1908–09 season, he made twelve appearances, either as cover for Hodgkinson on the right or [John Bainbridge](/source/John_Bainbridge_(footballer)) on the left, including twice as [inside-left](/source/Inside-left), when he replaced [Sam Shearer](/source/Sam_Shearer).[4] In September 1909, he took over the [outside-left](/source/Outside-left) berth from [Bob Carter](/source/Robert_Carter_(footballer)) and became established on the left, making 23 appearances in 1909–10[5] and missing only five in the 1910–11 season.[6] Being a "*fleet footed*" winger who "*could dribble the ball*", Blake's skill and ability to "*centre the ball with pin-point exactness*" "*posed many problems to opponents*".[1] Following the arrival of [George Handley](/source/George_Handley_(footballer,_born_1886)) in the summer of 1911, Blake missed most of the 1911–12 season, making only thirteen appearances,[7] whilst in 1912–13 [Len Andrews](/source/Len_Andrews) was preferred by new trainer [Jimmy McIntyre](/source/Jimmy_McIntyre), before Blake was recalled in January, with Andrews switching to the right.[8] At the start of the 1913–14 season, Andrews reverted to outside-left and it was not until October that Blake was recalled, initially replacing [Tom Binder](/source/Tom_Binder) on the right wing for four matches before moving over to the left, with Andrews at [inside-left](/source/Inside-left) and [Sid Kimpton](/source/Sid_Kimpton) on the right.[9] Blake retained his place for the rest of the season, but again lost out to Andrews in 1914–15, when he managed only twelve appearances.[10] During [World War I](/source/World_War_I), Blake's services were required in the Thornycroft shipyard although he did manage 32 appearances in wartime leagues in the early part of the war.[11] Following the resumption of league football after the cessation of hostilities, Blake made one further appearance, on 1 November 1919 in a 3–0 defeat at [Crystal Palace](/source/Crystal_Palace_F.C.).[12] Having made a total of 154 appearances for the first-team, Blake retired in the summer of 1920 and took up full-time employment with Thornycroft.[1] ## References 1. Holley, Duncan & Chalk, Gary (1992). *The Alphabet of the Saints*. ACL & Polar Publishing. pp. 34–35. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3. 1. Chalk, Gary & Holley, Duncan (1987). *Saints – A complete record*. Breedon Books. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-907969-22-4. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 42–43. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 44–45. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 46–47. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 48–49. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 50–51. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 52–53. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 54–55. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 56–57. 1. *The Alphabet of the Saints*. p. 388. 1. *Saints – A complete record*. pp. 62–63. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joe Blake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Blake) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Blake?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.