Joseph Harry Hampton (21 April 1885 – 15 March 1963) was an English footballer who was born in Wellington, Shropshire. To this day Hampton remains Aston Villa‘s all-time leading goalscorer in the League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Harry Hampton | ||
| Date of birth | 21 April 1885 | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, England | ||
| Date of death | 15 March 1963 (aged 77) | ||
| Place of death | Rhyl, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Shifnal Juniors | |||
| Lilleshall Iron Works | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1902–1904 | Wellington Town | ||
| 1904–1920 | Aston Villa | 339 | (215) |
| 1920–1922 | Birmingham | 57 | (31) |
| 1922–1923 | Newport County | 14 | (2) |
| 1924–1925 | Wellington Town | ||
| Total | 410 | (248) | |
| International career | |||
| 1913–1914 | England | 4 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
According to a friend speaking to the Wellington Journal and Shrewsbury News after his death, Hampton began his playing career with Lilleshall Iron Works team then joined Wellington Town, before transferring to Aston Villa on a professional contract for £120 in April 1904.[2]
Better known as “Happy” Harry Hampton or as “The Wellington Whirlwind,” he played as a centre forward for Aston Villa from 1904 to 1920.[3] He scored both goals against Newcastle United in the 1905 FA Cup Final. Hampton was a prolific goalscorer and once scored five goals when Aston Villa beat Sheffield Wednesday 10–0 in a First Division match in 1912.[3] He was joint top goalscorer in the First Division in the 1911–12 season.[4] Between 1913 and 1914 Hampton was capped by England four times, scoring two goals in games against Wales and Scotland.[5]
Hampton served on the Somme during the First World War and suffered from the effects of mustard gas poisoning.[3] Hampton was never the same player after the War and after scoring 242 goals in 376 games for Aston Villa, he moved to Birmingham.[3] Hampton guested for Stoke in 1918–19, scoring three goals in eight appearances.[6] He also guested for Fulham.[7]
At Birmingham, Hampton became the Second Division club’s star player, his 16 goals made him their top scorer for the 1920–21 season and helped the club win the Second Division title.[8] He ultimately scored 31 goals out of 59 appearances in the club before transferring to Newport County in Wales.[3]
Later, playing for Newport County, he scored two goals in 15 appearances.[3] He returned to Wellington Town, only to appear for one season.[2]
Following his retirement from playing, Hampton was a coach at Preston North End and former club, Birmingham. He later ran a catering business in Rhyl, where he died in 1963 at the age of 77.[8]
Source:[9]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1904–05 | First Division | 22 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 22 |
| 1905–06 | First Division | 32 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 20 | |
| 1906–07 | First Division | 29 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 21 | |
| 1907–08 | First Division | 28 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 19 | |
| 1908–09 | First Division | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 9 | |
| 1909–10 | First Division | 32 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 35 | 29 | |
| 1910–11 | First Division | 33 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 21 | |
| 1911–12 | First Division | 33 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 28 | |
| 1912–13 | First Division | 33 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 39 | 30 | |
| 1913–14 | First Division | 30 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 19 | |
| 1914–15 | First Division | 30 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 19 | |
| 1919–20 | First Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 339 | 215 | 34 | 27 | 373 | 242 | ||
| Birmingham | 1919–20 | Second Division | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| 1920–21 | Second Division | 29 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 16 | |
| 1921–22 | First Division | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | |
| Total | 57 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 59 | 31 | ||
| Newport County | 1922–23 | Third Division South | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| Career total | 410 | 248 | 37 | 27 | 447 | 275 | ||
![[en] | Harry Hampton (footballer, born 1885)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FACupFinal1905NewcastleVilla.jpg)
- General
- Entry on Aston Villa Player Database
- Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players’ Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). p. 113. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- Specific
- ^ Brum (22 August 1921). “First Division prospects. Birmingham”. Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
- ^ a b “The Great Harry Hampton”. Wellington Journal and Shrewsbury News. 23 March 1963.Report of his death, most information given based on interview with friend Jack Churm, former chairman of Wellington Town.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j “Harry Hampton, Aston Villa and the First World War”. Football and the First World War. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Ross, James M (7 November 2008). “English League Leading Goalscorers”. RSSSF. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
- ^ “Harry Hampton”. Englandstats.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ Association Football. The Times, London, England. Monday 21 April 1919
- ^ a b Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ^ Harry Hampton at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
![[en] | Harry Hampton (footballer, born 1885)](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png){kind=logo}