peden_jack
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| Name: John "Jack" Peden |
Nationality: Ireland |
| Position: forward |
Signing Information: Transferred from: Linfield, 03/1893, £ |
| Birthdate: 12-07-1863 |
Years at Club: 1893-1894 |
| Age: (161) |
Debut: 02/09/1893 v Burnley (North Road) 3-2 (League Division One) |
| Birthplace: Down, Ballymacarset, Ireland |
Previous clubs: Linfield |
| Height: 5' 9" (1.75m) |
Farewell to Manchester United: Transferred to Sheffield United, 08/1894, £30 |
| Weight: 11st 10lbs (74.39kg) |
Passed Away: 15/09/1944 |
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There are places where John Peden goes down as a footballing demigod. At Linfield, for instance, he was a star outside-left from Day One... literally: he scored in their first ever game in September 1886. Famed for his speed, dashing runs and clever crossing, Jack boasted an impressive scoring rate to boot. He had two spells with the club. The first one lasted until 1893 and included him leading Linfield to winning the opening three seasons of the Irish League, with the cup added for good measure. The second went on from 1899 to 1906 and saw the now player-coach add a couple more medals. In all, the 5'9", 11st 10lb winger played 204 games for Linfield and bagged 140 goals.
In between, Peden spent four years with Distillery to help make them the local superpower. Two league titles and one cup were won while he earned a whopping £1 a week - the highest wages on the island! A cool 41 goals in 87 games from 1895 to 1899 also bestowed upon him the title "The People's John".
Then, of course, there was the Irish national team. In an era when the maximum on international games was three per year, Peden won 24 caps, starting against Scotland in 1887 and ending in 1899. He scored seven goals in all, the most famous of which was the one that secured Ireland's first ever away victory - against Wales in 1898. He kept the match ball and titled it: "This is the ball that did the trick and I'm the man who gave it the kick".
Peden's time in Manchester, however, saw his tantalizing talents perpetually and intricately intertwined to a temperamental streak. And it was briefer than it should have been too. Newton Heath first came in contact with Peden in February 1893 - they played a friendly at Linfield and he terrorized their defence in a 0-2 defeat. Within a fortnight, they had offered him a professional contract, and he promptly netted for Heath in a friendly against Bootle.
Here was the man to preserve the club's top flight status! However, said man opted to remain in Ireland for the run-in so he could represent his country in the Home Nations championship. Luckily, it worked out - he bagged a hat-trick past Wales while Heath somehow evaded the drop.
On the opening day of 1893-94 against Burnley, Jack belatedly took to the field competitively for Heath then he was carried off it - by the crowd, shoulder-high, following a sparkling display. He went on to play 38 games that season, frequently dazzled, and netted 9 goals, including a few long distance crackers. But there were many defeats too, plus the occasional 'dirty' incidents, one of which landed Jack - and a few of his teammates in court! This was, of course, the infamous libel case of March 1894 when his excuse for kicking an opponent in the stomach was that he was blinded by the sun!
Following relegation that April, Jack moved to Sheffield United. Newton Heath wanted £50 but had to make do with £30. However, just eight games later, the man who had played for Clarence, Prospect, and Innisfoil in his youth returned to Ireland for good. It might also have had something to do with his wife giving birth to triplets in September! After retiring at the age of 42 in 1906, Peden worked as a boxing promoter for a while and also concentrated on his confectionary and tobacconist shop (The Forward) at 150 Sandy Row in Belfast. In Feb 2014 a campaign began to restore John's grave at the city cemetery in west Belfast. Local Historian Tom Hartley is involved. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude. |
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League Cup |
FA Cup |
Charity Shield |
European Cup |
Europa League |
Super Cup |
Cup Winners Cup |
Inter-Continental Cup |
World Clubs Cup |
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Season |
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Season
Goals |
Season
Apps |
| 1 |
1893-1894 |
7 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
32 |
| TOTALS |
7 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
32 |
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