John Baynton (20 March 1859 – 17 May 1939) 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 lea ...

who played in the

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for

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

. Note: There is evidence that Jack Baynton was born in 1860, not 1859. According to the FreeBMD website there was no J Baynton born in 1859 in Rushock but there was in the 2nd quarter of 1860. Also, all sources agree Baynton died 17 May 1939. FreeBMD show a John Baynton died aged 79 which leads to a birth in 1860.

Early career

Baynton was a pupil–teacher at St Luke's School in

Blakenhall Blakenhall is a suburb and ward of Wolverhampton, England. The population of the ward, including Goldthorn Park, was around 12,600 at the 2021 census. Toponymy and history Blakenhall's name, according to toponymists, comes from the Old Eng ...

, whose football team was to become to

. Baynton lined up initially for Blakenhall St. Luke's, as a centre–half, appearing in his first match on 15 March 1877. He became an officially registered footballer at the outset of the club in 1877 and appeared for them in various roles, including right-back and centre-forward. Not the tallest of defenders at just 5 ft 9ins, he then surprisingly changed positions to become a goalkeeper, and this became his favoured position. In the early days Baynton also acted as club secretary and treasurer. He appeared in

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

' first-ever

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

tie (in October 1883) and first-ever league match (in September 1888), as well as skippering them to their first-ever silverware, the 1884 Wrekin Cup. A wholehearted outfield player and team captain, who never gave less than 100 per cent, Baynton was also a very capable goalkeeper. Indeed, as a 'keeper, he once scored a goal from almost 100 yards, fly–kicking the ball downfield and between the posts when playing in a game at Dudley Road.

Season 1888–1889

Jack Baynton made his League debut on 8 September 1888, as a goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1–1 draw against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

Dudley Road Dudley Road was a football ground in Wolverhampton in England. It was the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers between 1881 and 1889, and was used during the first season of the Football League. History The ground began to be used in 1881 b ...

. When Jack Baynton played in goal on 13 October 1888 against

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

he was 29 years 207 days old; that made him, on that sixth weekend of League football, Wolverhampton Wanderers' oldest player. He played in the 1889 FA Cup Final, where they lost 0–3 to league champions Preston North End. Jack Baynton missed four of the "Wolves" 22 Football League matches in season 1888-89 and was part of a defence-line that kept three clean sheets and kept the opposition to one-in-a-League-match on six occasions. (registration & fee required)

1889 onwards

He joined Kidderminster Olympic in April 1889 but retired the following year, continuing on as a teacher and he also took up refereeing and officiated in several first–class matches.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baynton, Jack 1859 births 1939 deaths People from Worcestershire (before 1974) English men's footballers English Football League players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Men's association football goalkeepers Men's association football utility players