Johnny Fielding - Player Profile

John was born in Speke, Liverpool on Saturday 2 September 1939. After leaving school, he began his football career with Everton with whom he spent four seasons. While with them, he also served an apprenticeship as a plumber.

Aged 20, John signed for Pat Murphy’s Latics and made his debut on Tuesday 8 September 1959, scoring in the Club’s 2-2 draw at Oldham Athletic Reserves in a Lancashire Combination game. John was a clever, creative, inside forward despite his slight physique. He played 20 games that season and scored eight goals, also being involved in the Club’s Lancashire Junior Cup Final win over Chorley (2-1) at Blackburn Rovers with 7,100 in attendance. He also played in the Lancashire Combination Cup Final defeat at Nelson (0-1).

The season that followed in 1960/61 saw him play in eight games, netting on five occasions, including a goal against Wigan Rovers in a 4-2 Liverpool Non-League Senior Cup win at Springfield Park. His record of scoring a goal in nearly every other game soon drew the attention of Football League clubs, and he signed for Fourth Division side Southport in March 1961 for a bargain £500 deal. 

John stayed at Haig Avenue for three seasons and played 92 games for the Sandgrounders, scoring 25 goals. He had even played for Southport on the day of his wedding to Jean.

In March 1963, John signed for Fourth Division high-flyers Brentford for a fee of £7,000, helping them to clinch the league title. He went on to play 93 games for the Bees, scoring 21 goals.

In December 1965, John signed for Grimsby Town and he played 30 league games and scored eight goals for the Mariners before he moved to South Africa in 1967 to link up with his former Brentford teammate Matt Crowe. He helped his team Port Elizabeth City win the league title.

On returning home, John had brief spells back with Southport and with Tranmere Rovers before he eventually returned to Latics in 1969, then managed by Ian McNeill. He made his second debut on Saturday 9 August in a 2-0 home win over Scarborough. He scored his first goal a week later in a 2-0 win at South Liverpool. He helped Latics to finish runners-up in the Northern Premier League and later scored at Port Vale in the FA Cup run that ended at Old Trafford in a Second Round Replay with 16,453 in attendance. 

He was a substitute in the prestige home friendly with Metallist of Kharkov and he had played and scored in the 11-1 rout of Darwen. Gordon Milne had taken over as Latics manager in February, and his last game for Latics was on Monday, 27 April 1970 in the Lancashire Challenge Trophy Final defeat to Skelmersdale United (1-2) at Chorley. Steve Heighway was in the Skem side that night. John played 49 games that season and scored eight goals.

After leaving Latics, John played for Altrincham, Ellesmere Port, South Liverpool and Runcorn before retiring in 1976 because of his work commitments.