John Grant

The son of Scottish parents, John Wylie Grant started his football career in his native Kent with Northfleet United as a teenager and they captured the Kent League during his spell with them. He crossed the Irish Sea to play with Belfast Cliftonville in 1908 when just 18 and then, in January 1909, went to northern Europe to play in Sweden before returning to Britain in 1910. He moved to Southport where he spent two seasons with Southport Central (now Southport FC) in the Lancashire Combination. He joined Woolwich Arsenal (now just Arsenal) in February 1912 when his work took him to Gravesend and he agreed to help out as an amateur when he could. A centre-forward, who could also play at centre-half, he made his Gunners début against Preston North End on 8 April 1912. Grant played four games for the Arsenal and scored three goals, all in the 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers on 22 April 1912. Rovers were top of the first division at the time. James Wylie’s father, James, Sr., was a former director of Woolwich Arsenal. Grant was chosen as one of the non-travelling reserves for the Great Britain squad at the 1912 Olympics in Sweden, where he had previously played League football. Less than a month after the Olympic final, Grant turned professional and was off to Europe again, this time to join former Arsenal colleague Willy Garbutt, who had been appointed the first professional coach of the Italian club Genoa. Grant was one of five Englishmen recruited by Garbutt and he turned out to be a prolific goalscorer for the Italian outfit. He spent three seasons at Genoa and was part of their Italian championship-winning team in 1914-15. He returned to England at the end of that season and got married to his sweetheart Kathleen Shortt at Birkdale, Southport, in July 1915. He finished his football career with the Northern Nomads.