| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Payne | ||
| Date of birth | (1914-01-17)17 January 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Brimington Common, England | ||
| Date of death | 22 April 1975(1975-04-22) (aged 61) | ||
| Place of death | Luton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Half-back,centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Bolsover Colliery | |||
| 1934–1938 | Luton Town | 72 | (83) |
| →Biggleswade Town (loan) | |||
| 1938–1945 | Chelsea | 36 | (21) |
| 1946–1947 | West Ham United | 10 | (6) |
| 1947–? | Millwall | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1937 | England | 1 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Payne (17 January 1914 – 22 April 1975) was anEngland internationalfootballer, best known as the scorer of 10 goals in a match forLuton Town againstBristol Rovers on 13 April 1936. This is still a record in theEnglish Football League. Payne later played forChelsea and, after missing six years of his career to theSecond World War,West Ham United.
Payne was born inBrimington Common nearChesterfield, and worked as acoalminer as a teenager. He was spotted playing as acentre-forward forBolsover Colliery and signed byLuton Town in 1934. There, he played mostly for thereserve team as ahalf-back, and spent time onloan toBiggleswade Town.[2][3]
Payne made his League debut for Luton on 29 December 1934, againstSouthend United, and he made one further appearance during his initial season. The1935–36 season saw Payne start four games as half-back, the last of which came on 21 September 1935 againstCrystal Palace, and he did not play for the club again until 13 April 1936, in a match againstBristol Rovers.[4] Due to injuries toJack Ball andBill Boyd, Payne was played at centre-forward and scored 10 goals, still aFootball League record, in a 12–0 win. He received a £2 win bonus for the match, in addition to his £4 weekly wage.[2][5] The following season, Payne scored a club record 55 goals in 39 matches as the Hatters won theThird Division South championship.[4] In May 1937, he made his only appearance forEngland, scoring two goals in the 8–0 victory overFinland at theTöölön Pallokenttä.[6]
In March 1938, he was bought byChelsea for a large fee, reported as around £5,000.[7] In September 1941, Payne was hospitalised with acute pneumonia.[8] His career was interrupted by theSecond World War but he continued to be a prolific scorer in wartime competitions, and played once for hometown clubChesterfield in an 8–0 win overNotts County in December 1944.[3][9]
In December 1946, Payne joinedWest Ham United, where he made 11 appearances in his single season with the club.[10] He then joinedMillwall but he had been suffering from persistent ankle injuries and never made a League appearance.[3]
Payne died in Luton on 22 April 1975, aged 61.[11] On 13 April 2006, to mark the 70th anniversary of his 10-goal record, a plaque was unveiled byGeoff Thompson, then chairman ofthe Football Association, on the wall of the Miner's Arms public house in Manor Road, Brimington Common. The site is adjacent to the now-demolished house where he used to live, and overlooks a park where he played football. The unveiling was attended by two of Payne's nephews.[4][9] A lounge at Kenilworth Road stadium was named in honour of Payne.[citation needed]
Chelsea yesterday afternoon secured from Luton the transfer of Joe Payne, the brilliant marksman who holds the individual scoring record. The actual fee is not stated, but is believed to be somewhere near £5,000.
Joe Payne, Chelsea forward and holder of the Football League individual scoring record with 10 goals in a match, is in hospital in Luton suffering from acute pneumonia.
