*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
John Ballagher
Appearances: 88 Goals: 66
Date / Year of birth: 21st March 1936
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1964/65
Season of last appearance: 1965/66
Also played for: Stalybridge Celtic, Dukinfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday (3,0), Doncaster Rovers (42,13), Gillingham (45,12), Folkestone Town, Folkestone and Ramsgate Athletic
Prolific 5' 10" tall opportunist goalscorer born in Ashton-under-Lyne who began his career with Stalybridge and then played for Dukinfield Town before joining Sheffield Wednesday in February 1957. John played three games for the Owls during 1958/59 but didn't score for them although they won all three matches.
In February 1961 he joined Doncaster and scored 13 times in 42 first team games for them before moving to Gillingham in August 1962.
John made 45 senior appearances for the Gills and scored 12 goals before moving to Margate in October 1964. The fee paid for his services was the highest in the club's history at the time.
John made his debut for Margate in a match at Rugby on 24.10.64 and scored within 30 seconds of the kick off. It was the first of a post-war club record 50 goals he was to score during the 1964/65 season at a rate of exactly one a game.
John's strong, bustling play was described as "an eager beaver style" by the local press and they also said that he was a "wily little poacher" capable of "super-opportunism" during the campaign. His amazing scoring spree included three hat-tricks and two five goal hauls. The first of those came in a 6-0 win over Gravesend & Northfleet at Hartsdown Park on 2.11.64 and the other in an amazing 9-4 win at Tonbridge on 22.3.65. Both matches were in the Kent Floodlight Cup competition and in fact 12 of John's first 13 Margate goals came under floodlights.
John began the 1965/66 season in good form and scored a hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Tonbridge at Hartsdown Park on 28.8.65. One of the goals was a superb 20 yard effort. He also bagged three as Margate won 4-1 at Sittingbourne on 2.11.65, including another excellent 20 yard effort. However as the season went on John often found himself playing on the wing and found goals harder to come by than before. He did score his third hat-trick of the season as Margate beat Deal 6-4 on 21.2.66 but his goals that night turned out to be his last for the club. Having scored 16 times in 38 appearances John was transferred to Folkestone in March 1966. A small three figure fee was involved.
John went on to spend three full seasons with Folkestone, winning the club's 'Player of the Year' award for 1966/67 and scoring 15 goals during 1967/68. On 30.4.69 he scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Margate in the 1st Leg of the Kent Senior Cup Final.
In the summer of 1969 John returned to Thanet to join Ramsgate but after suffering from a succession of niggling injuries during the 1969/70 campaign he asked for his contract to be cancelled and left Southwood in April 1970. At the time John promised the Rams that if he was fit enough to play again the following season he would turn out for them for free. However it didn't happen and John retired.
In 2001 John was living in Boughton Monchelsea, near Maidstone.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFL |
| |
|
1964/65 (MFC) |
50 (71) |
N/A |
50 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (6TH OF 22) |
4QR |
2R |
3R |
GR |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1965/66 (MFC) |
38 (67) |
N/A |
16 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (22ND OF 22) |
1QR |
2R |
SF |
RU |
SF |
| Margate relegated to Division One. | |||||||||