| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Bradford | ||
| Date of birth | (1901-01-22)22 January 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Peggs Green,Coalville, England | ||
| Date of death | 6 September 1980(1980-09-06) (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Coalville Town | ||
| – | Peggs Green Victoria | ||
| 1920–1935 | Birmingham | 414 | (249) |
| 1935–1936 | Bristol City | 5 | (1) |
| Total | 419 | (250) | |
| International career | |||
| 1923–1930 | England | 12 | (7) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Bradford (22 January 1901 – 6 September 1980) was an Englishfootballer who played as acentre forward. He spent the majority of his career withBirmingham, and remains the club's all-time leading goalscorer with 267 goals from 445 appearances in all competitions.[2] Bradford also played 12 times forEngland, scoring seven goals.[3]
Bradford was born inPeggs Green, Leicestershire.[2] He played football forCoalville Town and Peggs Green Victoria before being noticed by larger clubs.[2] He had trials withDerby County andAston Villa before signing forBirmingham in February 1920 for a fee of £100, with an additional £25 payable upon making his first-team debut.[4]
Bradford made his first-team debut for Birmingham on Christmas Day 1920 and scored in a 1–1 draw away toWest Ham United. He played three more league matches that season as the club won promotion to theFootball League First Division.[5] Over the next 15 seasons, he became Birmingham's all-time leading goalscorer,[6] topped the club's scoring charts in all but one First Division season between1921–22 and1932–33,[7] and if goals in all competitions are counted, he was top scorer in all twelve of those seasons.[8]
Bradford helped the team reach the1931 FA Cup Final, and scored Birmingham's only goal as they lost 2–1 toWest Bromwich Albion.[2] He remains the club's all-time leading goalscorer, with 267 goals in 445 league matches.[2]
In 1935, Bradford had a stint atBristol City, who were playing in theFootball League Third Division. He made just five appearances and scored one goal before retiring from professional football in 1936.[9]
Bradford made his debut forEngland on 20 October 1923 in aBritish Home Championship match against Ireland. He went on to earn 12 caps between 1923 and 1930, scoring seven goals. He also played five times for a representativeFootball League XI, for which he once scored five goals in a match against theIrish League XI.[10][9]
After retiring, Bradford ran several public houses in theWest Midlands, including the White Lion in Muntz St, Birmingham, the Stockland Inn inErdington and the Vernon Arms inHanbury. Later, he co-owned a sports shop inSutton Coldfield with formerAston Villa playerEric Houghton. He briefly worked as a scout forArsenal in the 1946–47 season.[citation needed]
Bradford died in Birmingham on 6 September 1980 at the age of 79.[2]
Birmingham
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