John Blake

English goalkeeper John Blake made two City Cup appearances for Ballymena FC during the 1930/1931 season.

Lancashire born, there is little known of Blake’s career as a goalkeeper in the North of England in the 1920’s. Having impressed at non-league Farmworth Town in the 1924/1925 season, he attracted the attention of Accrington Stanley that same season and made the move to the Third Division North side in January 1925, making his Football League debut later that same month against Brighton.

His breakthrough season as curtailed by a worrying bout of pneumonia in April 1925, and whilst having recovered from illness in time for the 1925/1926 season, he found his opportunities limited at the club with Stanley rolling out no less than six goalkeepers by November, which led to Blake requesting his release from the club after just five first team outings.

John had a short spell between the sticks at Durham City, before appearing at the Braid in February 1931 as another attempt by selectors to fill the goalkeeping berth vacated by John Gough the season before. Blake was one of six different goalkeepers during the 1930/1931 campaign, and made his debut in a 2-2 draw away to Celtic Park, when the Light Blues were denied victory by a late Jackie Coulter goal. A far more uninspiring performance in the 4-2 defeat to Distillery the following week, proved to be his last sighting in a Ballymena shirt, with the return of James McKean for the remainder of the season.

Following his departure from Ballymena after less than a month’s trial, there are no further records of John’s football career, as he was known to have returned to England to work as a paper maker in Wigan prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Career
Farnworth Town; (Jan 1925) Accrington Stanley; Durham City; (Feb 1931) Ballymena