Arthur Leonard Bamford (1879 – 1950), known as Arthur Leonard, was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...

and

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Sto ...

Career

Leonard, then known by his original surname of Bamford, signed for

Leicester Fosse Leicester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home m ...

in 1895, but walked out on them. After playing for

Rushden Town Rushden is a market town and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, around east of Northampton. The parish is on the border with Bedfordshire, north of Bedford. The parish of Rushden covers an area of some . The population of Rushde ...

and Sheppey United, Small Heath spotted Leonard playing for

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882. History Early history In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...

and signed him on the spot for a fee of £120. However, representatives of Leicester recognised him as their absent player, and when questioned as to the facts, he disappeared again. Persuaded to return to Birmingham, he admitted to being Bamford, and the matter was settled by Small Heath paying Leicester a further £20 to complete the transfer. In

1902–03 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Musi ...

he was the club's top scorer with 16 goals. Leonard then joined

in January 1904 and played 14 matches in two seasons scoring three goals. After a short spell in Scotland with St Bernard's he moved to the Southern League with

Clapton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...

before ending his career with

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

Career statistics

Source:

References

External links

Arthur Leonard profile
at greensonscreen.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Arthur 1874 births 1921 deaths Footballers from Leicester English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Leicester City F.C. players Rushden Town F.C. players Sheppey United F.C. players Glentoran F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players St Bernard's F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Reading F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Place of death missing