Harold Houghton (26 August 1906 – 3 February 1986) was an English professional

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 lea ...

, who played as an

inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

for four teams in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

, amassing 322 appearances and scoring 112 goals between 1927 and 1937. Having played as a child for Anfield Social Club, he joined Everton in January 1922, while still aged 15. He turned professional with them in December 1923, aged 17, but he would have to wait until 1927 before he finally made his only first team appearance. He joined

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

for a fee of £350 in June 1928, and went on to make 207 League appearances and score 79 goals in just under six years with them.

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

paid £550 to sign Houghton in March 1934, and he moved to

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

on 1 November 1935. While at Rovers he was the club's top goalscorer during the 1936–37 season with 14 goals. He returned to his home city in 1937, where he played for South Liverpool.

References

1906 births 1986 deaths Footballers from Liverpool English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Everton F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players South Liverpool F.C. players English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen {{England-footy-forward-1900s-stub