Jack Reynolds

Early years

Although born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Reynolds grew up in Ahoghill in County Antrim, Ireland and attended schools in Portglenone and Ballymena. By the age of 15 he was back in Blackburn playing with, among others Blackburn Rovers reserves. In December 1886 he joined the British Army and was posted back to Ireland with the East Lancashire Regiment. While in Ireland he also played for the regimental team. In 1888 he also began playing for Distillery where his teammates included Olphert Stanfield and Billy Crone. He also played for Distillery in an FA Cup tie against one of his former clubs Blackburn Park Road F.C. He missed the 1888–89 season due to suspension but despite this Distillery bought him out of the army in time for the 1889–90 season and Reynolds helped the club reach the final of the County Antrim Shield. In June 1890 he joined Ulster F.C., a now defunct Belfast team. In 1891 Reynolds helped this team finish runners-up to Linfield in both the Irish Cup and the very first Irish Football League.

West Bromwich Albion

In March 1891, Reynolds joined West Bromwich Albion (WBA) and it was subsequently discovered that he was actually English. During his debut 1891–92 season with WBA he played 17 games and scored 2 goals. He also won the first of his three FA Cup winners medals, scoring for WBA in the 1892 FA Cup final as they beat Aston Villa 3–0. During the 1892–93 season he played a further 20 games and scored one more goal for WBA. This…

Ireland

Between 1890 and 1891, while playing for Distillery and Ulster F.C., Reynolds made five appearances for Ireland, four as a half-back and one as winger. He made his debut for Ireland on 8 February 1890 in a 5–2 defeat to Wales. Then on 15 March he played against England and scored Ireland's only goal in the 9–1 defeat. This was the only international in which he played as a winger. During the 1891 British Home Championship he played in all three of Ireland's games.

England

While playing for WBA and Aston Villa, Reynolds made eight appearances as a half-back for England. He made his England debut at the age of 23 in 1892 against Scotland. He scored for England in the 6–0 win over Wales in 1893 and the 2–2 draw with Scotland in 1894, but not in his only match against Ireland. He helped England win three British Home Championship titles. Reynolds made his last appearance for England against Scotland in 1897 at the age of 28. He also played for the Football League XI on four occasions. Some sources credit him with a goal in a 5–2 victory against Scotland on 1 April 1893, but it is now accepted that this goal completed a hat-trick by Fred Spiksley.

Reynolds was a competitive player with ball skills and footwork. He was regarded as one of the greatest footballers of the 1890s and was one of the highest paid players of his generation.

Reynolds gained a reputation for drinking and womanising and as a result much of the money he earned disappeared. He fathered at least one illegitimate child and in 1899 he appeared in court for non-payment of child maintenance. His heavy drinking blighted his latter career and after brief spells at Celtic and then Southampton, he became a semi-professional journeyman. Towards the end of his life he worked as a miner in Sheffield and he died alone in a boarding house at the age of 48. Reynolds and his career have been the subject of several lectures, including one entitled How to play football, win friends and die young: The life of John Reynolds, given by Dr. Neal Garnham at the University of Ulster.