Harry Leese

Harry Leese
	Leese in a Port Vale team photo.
Personal information
Full name	Harold Leese
Date of birth	1886
Place of birth	Goldenhill, Staffordshire, England
Date of death	?
Position(s)	Full-back / Half-back
Youth career
	Smallthorne
	Goldenhill Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team
1906	Stoke
	Golden Hill
1908–1909	Bradford City
1909–1913	Stoke
1913–1919	Port Vale
	Crewe Alexandra
	Goldenhill Wanderers
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Harold Leese (1886–?) was an English footballer who played for Bradford City, Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale and Stoke.^[1] He helped Stoke to win two minor league titles.

Career

Leese was born in Staffordshire and played non-League football with local sides Smallthorne and Goldenhill Villa before he was signed up to league club Stoke. After playing for Golden Hill, he had a spell with Bradford City between July 1908 and May 1909,^[2] making one league appearance,^[3] before returning to Stoke in 1909. He scored 19 goals in 50 appearances in the 1909–10 season and helped the club to win the Southern League Division Two A. He scored nine goals in 53 matches in the 1910–11 season, as the "Potters" won the Birmingham & District League title and finished second in the Southern League Division Two. He scored once in 14 games in the 1911–12 season, and featured six times in the 1912–13 campaign before departing the Victoria Ground. He moved to local rivals Port Vale in May 1913.^[4] He played regular football between September and December 1914, but then left to help his country fight World War II.^[4] He made two appearances whilst on leave, returning permanently upon his demobilization in April 1919. He left at the end of the 1918–19 campaign as he could not agree terms with the club, and so was not a part of the club when it gained re-election to the Football League in October 1919.^[4] Instead he joined nearby Crewe Alexandra, and later played for Goldenhill Wanderers.^[4]

Career statistics

Source:^[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bradford City	1908–09	First Division	1	0	0	0	1	0
Stoke	1909–10	Birmingham & District League / Southern League Division Two	40	18	6	1	46	19
	1910–11	Birmingham & District League / Southern League Division Two	50	9	3	0	53	9
	1911–12	Southern League Division One	14	1	0	0	14	1
	1912–13	Southern League Division One	5	0	1	0	6	0
	Total		109	28	10	1	119	29
Port Vale	1913–14	Central League	22	0	2	0	24	0
	1913–14	Central League	15	4	3	0	18	4
	Total		37	4	5	0	42	4
Career total			147	32	15	1	162	33

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
^ Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 400. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.
^ Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 384. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 172. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
^ Harry Leese at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

[The_Encyclopaedia_of_Stoke_City-1] Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.

[2] Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 400. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.

[3] Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. p. 384. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.

[kent-4] Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 172. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.

[5] Harry Leese at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

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