Joshua Randles (June 1865 – 17 October 1925) 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 was a one club man for Burslem Port Vale between 1885 and 1899.

Career

Randles probably joined Burslem Port Vale in the autumn of 1885. His first known game was at left-half in a 6–0 triumph over

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

side

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

in a friendly on 26 October 1885. He enjoyed regular football from September 1888 to February 1889 but played only occasional football thereafter. He played two

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

games in the 1892–93 season, the club's first season in the

English 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 ...

. He did not feature in the 1893–94 campaign, and only played twice in the 1894–95 season. He did, though, play seven games in the 1895–96 season, claiming two goals against both

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...

and

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

. Over his 14 years at the Athletic Ground he had played in nine different positions for the club in 75 games, scoring 14 goals. Upon retiring as a player, Randles became Vale's assistant trainer and later the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

trainer.

Career statistics

:A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in

friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randles, Jos 1865 births 1925 deaths Footballers from Burslem English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Port Vale F.C. players Midland Football League players English Football League players English football coaches Port Vale F.C. non-playing staff 19th-century English sportsmen