Harold John Fleming (30 April 1887 – 23 August 1955) was an English footballer who played as an inside forward for Swindon Town and the England national team. He is the only Swindon Town player to have featured for England.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harold John Fleming | ||
| Date of birth | 30 April 1887 | ||
| Place of birth | Downton, Wiltshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 23 August 1955 (aged 68) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St. Marks | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1907–1924 | Swindon Town | 293 | (183) |
| International career | |||
| 1909–1914 | England | 11 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editFleming began his career at St. Marks before being invited for a trial at Swindon Town by manager Sam Allen.[1] He joined the club in 1907.[2] Fleming scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Salisbury and was swiftly signed on a full-time basis.[1]
Fleming became a Swindon Town legend scoring 203 times in 332 games in 17 years at the club.[2] If not for World War I his career may have been more successful. He worked as a physical education instructor during the conflict.[2]
During his career, Fleming had a style of football boot named after him.[citation needed]
International career
editFleming remains the only Swindon player to have represented England at senior level while playing for the club[3] - gaining 11 caps between 1909 and 1914.
Legacy
edit
Fleming Way in Swindon, close to the County Ground, is named after him and a statue of him stands inside the foyer of Swindon Town at the County Ground. In 2019 Swindon Heritage unveiled a blue plaque to Fleming on his former home in Durham Street.[4]
Around 2009 video footage of Fleming's playing was discovered.[2]
Family
editHarold Fleming was the son of Fredrick Henry Fleming (born 19 May 1850), and had one brother (Fredrick Edwin) and two sisters (Ella and Edith). All four went on to have children, including a daughter (Meriel) for Harold.[citation needed]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swindon Town | 1907–08 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 17 | |
| 1908–09 | 34 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 29 | ||
| 1909–10 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 25 | ||
| 1910–11 | 30 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 21 | ||
| 1911–12 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 21 | ||
| 1912–13 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 10 | ||
| 1913–14 | 24 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 19 | ||
| 1914–15 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 12 | ||
| 1919–20 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 1920–21 | 26 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 17 | ||
| 1921–22 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 13 | ||
| 1922–23 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | ||
| 1923–24 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 293 | 183 | 36 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 335 | 203 | ||
International
edit- Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fleming goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 1909 | Millenáris Sporttelep, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 3–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 31 May 1909 | Millenáris Sporttelep, Budapest, Hungary | Scotland | 1–0 | 8–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 5–0 | |||||
| 4 | 12 February 1910 | Solitude, Belfast, Ireland | Ireland | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 10 February 1912 | Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland | Ireland | 1–0 | 6–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3–1 | |||||
| 7 | 5–1 | |||||
| 8 | 17 March 1913 | Ashton Gate, Bristol, England | Wales | 1–1 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 9 | 4 April 1914 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Harold Fleming - Player Profile". Swindon Town F.C. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Lost Harold Fleming footage found". BBC. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ Leighton, Barry (1 July 2014). "Swindon's 160 greatest headline makers...part 4". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Harold Fleming". SWINDON HERITAGE BLUE PLAQUES. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Harold Fleming at National-Football-Teams.com