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John Goodall (19 June 1863 – 20 May 1942) was an English professional footballer who rose to fame as a centre forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903. He also played cricket in the County Championship for Derbyshire in 1895 and 1896, being one of 19 players to achieve the Derbyshire Double of playing cricket for Derbyshire and football for Derby County. He was also a curling player of some repute.
Goodall had a somewhat cosmopolitan background. He was born in London and his parents' travels were diverse enough to leave him with a younger brother, Archie Goodall, who was born in Belfast. John and Archie also had a sister named Elizabeth who was born in Edinburgh. "The 'CoodNaes': John & Archie". Iain Campbell Whittle. Via Scots Football Worldwide.
When he was young John Goodall would play in bare feet with a rubber ball along with his other friends. He later commented that this helped to develop his ball control skills from an early age, which benefitted him when he became a footballer. "To-day's Training Methods Are 'All Wrong.' 'Proud Preston' Would Give Any Present Team Six Goals Start". By John Goodall. Athletic News, Monday 5 November 1928, p.1. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
John's father died when he was young, and by the time that the 1871 census was taken on 2 April, he was living in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was in the home listed as aged 7, with his mother Mary, a widow aged 32. And siblings Archibald age 6, and Elizabeth age 4. The address was 13, Glencairn Square."Surname: Goodall. Forename: John. Ref: 597/ 23/ 12. RD Name: Kilmarnock. County/City: Ayr". Census returns – 1871 Census – Search results. Via ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
When Goodall left school he became an iron turner and later worked at the Glenfield Works in Kilmarnock."Gunpowder Accident". Irvine Times, Friday 21 September 1883, p.8. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
His mother married Joseph Barnes in 1880 at Kilmarnock."Joseph Barnes – Mary Goodall. Year: 1880. Ref: 597/ 166. RD Name: Kilmarnock (Ayr)". Statutory registers – Marriages – Search results. Via ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
On 17 March 1883 his team played a replayed semi-final of the 1882–83 Scottish Cup, but lost 2–0 at home against Vale of Leven. "Scotch Football Notes". Athletic News, Wednesday 21 March 1883, p.5. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
He represented Ayrshire again on 19 November 1883 at Kilmarnock in a match against a Lancashire representative team. Ayrshire won 6–3, and after the game Goodall was described in one review as being the best forward in the county. "Lancashire v. Ayrshire". Athletic News, Wednesday 21 November 1883, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021. "Scotch Football Notes". Athletic News, Wednesday 21 November 1883, p.5. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
Having played for Kilmarnock Athletic, he later joined the Scotch Professor exodus south and ended up at Great Lever. Kilmarnock Athletic played two matches in Lancashire in December 1883. The first was on 22 December 1883 against Great Lever, which resulted in a 3–1 win for Kilmarnock Athletic at the Great Lever ground in Bolton. Goodall scored one goal. "Great Lever v. Kilmarnock Athletic". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Monday 24 December 1883, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2021. They then played against Preston North End at Deepdale on 24 December 1883 and lost 4–1. "Football. North End v. Kilmarnock Athletic". Preston Herald, Wednesday 26 December 1883, p.5. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2021. This was the last game that John Goodall played for Kilmarnock Athletic. Along with Lucas, and Walkinshaw of Kilmarnock Athletic, John Goodall decided he did not want to return with his team back to Scotland and decided to stay in Lancashire joining the Great Lever Team because he could earn better wages in England. "En Passant". Athletic News, Wednesday 2 January 1884, p.1. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
His first appearance for Great Lever took place on 29 December 1883 in a game against Halliwell. "Association Football". Athletic News, Wednesday 2 January 1884, p.5. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 6 October 2021. During the 1883–1884 season Great Lever played 45 matches. Of these, 35 were won, 8 were lost and 2 drawn. And with the help of John Goodall, the team became renowned for scoring lots of goals. They scored 180 goals and conceded 68. "Great Lever Football Club". Athletic News, Wednesday 7 May 1884, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
On 6 September 1884 at Great Lever in a 4–2 win for his team, he scored a goal against Blackburn Rovers. "Football. Association. Great Lever v. Blackburn Rovers". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Monday 8 September 1884, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2021. A week later he scored four goals at Great Lever in a 6–0 win over Derby County. "Derby County v. Great Lever". Liverpool Mercury, Monday 15 September 1884, p.7. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 9 October 2021. On 17 November 1884 at Preston, he made an appearance for Preston North End, his future club, and scored a goal in a 3–1 win against Burnley. Both teams had the assistance of players from outside their usual elevens on this day."Preston North End v. Burnley". Athletic News, Wednesday 19 November 1884, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 6 October 2021. Goodall scored many goals for the Leverites, and by the end of 1884 was being described as the best forward in Lancashire. "The Association Game". Athletic News, Wednesday 31 December 1884, p.4. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021. He struck four goals against Walsall Swifts on 31 January 1885 in a 7–0 win at the Great Lever ground in Bolton. "Football In Lancashire. Great Lever v. Walsall Swifts". The Sportsman, Monday 2 February 1885, p.4. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
His last match for Great Lever took place on 16 May 1885 at home against Bolton Wanderers F.C. and ended in a 1–1 draw. It came just a few days after the same team had defeated the Leverites 5–1 in the final of the Bolton Charity Cup. "Bolton Wanderers v. Great Lever". Athletic News, Tuesday 19 May 1885, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
On 17 August 1887, he scored nine goals in North End's 16–2 win in a friendly match away against Dundee Strathmore. "Football. Preston North End v. Strathmore (Dundee)". Dundee Courier, Friday 19 August 1887, p.4. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 5 October 2021. When North End beat Hyde F.C. 26–0 on 15 October 1887, John Goodall only claimed the last goal. "Association. English Challenge Cup. First Round". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Monday 17 October 1887, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021. This may in part be due to the fact that he was playing at half-back in the game. "Football Association Challenge Cup. Preston North End v. Hyde". Sporting Life, Monday 17 October 1887, p.4. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021. That season, 1887–88 Preston North end reached the 1888 FA Cup Final. It was played at Kennington Oval on 24 March 1888 against West Bromwich Albion, John Goodall played centre–forward. North End lost 2–1.
At Preston, Goodall had assumed the responsibility of organising the attack and carried the side's development a stage further by instigating many ploys that would never have otherwise become part of the team's repertoire. By the time of his departure to Derby County, he had achieved all he could hope to do at Deepdale. Goodall made 56 first–team appearance for Preston North End, 21 in the League and he scored 56 goals for the club, 20 in the League.
It was at Derby County where the older Goodall became a mentor to Stephen Bloomer, the best goal scorer of that generation, from the start of the 1892–93 season. Bloomer credited Goodall with his early development. "How To Get Goals. By Steve Bloomer" Derby Daily Telegraph, Saturday 10 September 1904, p.2. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 13 October 2021. And partly as a result of this combination, the 'Rams' came strongly to the fore but were never quite able to convert their talents into silverware finishing third in the League twice, runners-up once (in 1895), FA Cup semi-finalists twice, and runners-up once (in 1898).
He played his last game for Derby County on 8 April 1899 in a 4–0 league defeat away at Liverpool. "Liverpool v Derby County, 08 April 1899". Via 11v11.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021. It was commented in the Derby Daily Telegraph that he could not keep pace with such fast men in the Liverpool team as Alex Raisbeck and others. "Notes On Out-Door Sports". Derby Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 12 April 1899, p.2. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
Goodall did not feature in the 1899 FA Cup Final as he was by now fading as a first-time fixture at the Baseball Ground.
In October 1899 he was taken on by New Brighton Tower, a club based in the Wirral, that pursued an expensive policy of buying ex-internationals in order to strengthen their League status. However, he only played six games with this team.
A reporter for the Watford Observervisited Goodall in May 1903, as he prepared for the new season and, in part, wrote this:
"Watford Football. Career Of John Goodall. The Player-Manager's Athletic Prowess". Watford Observer, Saturday 16 May 1903, p.11. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 11 October 2021. "Athletic prowess of club's first-ever manager". News Shopper, 26 March 2002. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
He made an immediate impact at Watford. The club broke various records in winning Division Two of the Southern League in 1903–04. They went through the campaign undefeated, recording the highest FA Cup victory in the club's history (6–0 versus Redhill 31 October 1903) and having both the highest season (Bertie Banks) (21 goals) and single game goal scorer in the club's history (Harry Barton (6 goals v. Wycombe Wanderers 26 September 1903).
During the 1904–1905 season John Goodall was top scorer for Watford, getting 18 goals from the 42 games that he played for them. Watford played a total of 53 games in that season. He was captain of the team and developed younger players such as George Badenoch. "Watford. A Wonderful Veteran". Athletic News, Monday 1 May 1905, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
Goodall played his last football game for Watford on 14 September 1907 at the age of 44 years, 87 days in a Southern League game against Bradford Park Avenue, becoming the oldest person ever to have played for Watford.
In all, Goodall was capped six times versus Wales, seven times against Scotland, and once against Ireland, scoring 12 goals. He saw his last international in 1898 having appeared at inside right, centre forward, and inside left during his time as an England player.
| Watford | May 1903 | May 1910 |
While at Watford he played five cricket matches for Hertfordshire County Cricket Club in 1905 and 1906.
He became the groundsman of West Herts Sports Club at the Cassio Road enclosure in Watford. While at this post in 1927 he became ill and was sent to St. George's Hospital, in London. "John Goodall's Illness". Athletic News, Monday 10 January 1927, p.16. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 13 October 2021. He recovered and in November 1928 gave an interview to the Athletic News, giving some details about his life and playing career and opinions on training methods in football.
On 29 September 1939, he was living at 20, Longspring, Watford. He was a retired cricket groundsman.
"Sports Causerie. By 'Perseus'. John Goodall Goes". Lancashire Evening Post, Saturday 23 May 1942, p.3. Via British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
Goodall was buried at Vicarage Road Cemetery, at first in an unmarked grave but in May 2018, Watford FC provided a headstone adorned with the club crest and text recording Goodall's many sporting achievements. Hornet Heaven (no date), John Goodall's Gravestone
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