View source for Johnny Holt

{{Short description|English footballer (1865–1937)}}
{{other people||John Holt (disambiguation){{!}}John Holt}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Johnny Holt
| image = 
| full_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1865|04|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Church, Lancashire]], England
| death_date = 1937 (aged 72)
| position = [[Half-back (association football)|Half-back]], [[centre-half]]
| years1 = 
| clubs1 = King's Own Blackburn
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 
| years2 = 1886
| clubs2 = Blackpool St. John's
| caps2 = 
| goals2 = 
| years3 = 
| clubs3 = Church
| caps3 = 
| goals3 = 
| years4 = 
| clubs4 = [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]
| caps4 = 
| goals4 = 
| years5 = 1887–1888
| clubs5 = [[Bootle F.C.|Bootle]]
| caps5 = 
| goals5 = 
| years6 = 1888–1898
| clubs6 = [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]
| caps6 = 225
| goals6 = 3
| years7 = 1898
| clubs7 = [[Reading F.C.|Reading]]
| caps7 = 
| goals7 = 
| nationalyears1 = 1890–1900
| nationalteam1 = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps1 = 10
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}

'''Johnny Holt'''  (10 April 1865<ref>{{Englandstats|ref=y|access-date=1 September 2010}}</ref> – 1937<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersH/BioHoltJ.html |title=Johnny Holt |website=England Football Online |date=6 November 2014 |access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref>) was an English professional [[association football|footballer]] who played in twenty-one of [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]'s twenty-two game [[The Football League|Football League]] title winning side of [[Everton F.C. season 1890-91|1890–91]].

==Career==

===Early career===
Holt played for a number of clubs before signing for Everton in August 1888. His first club was called King's Own Blackburn, then he joined Blackpool St. John's in 1886, a club that pre-dated [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] but ceased to exist as the latter became the major club for the town. He then played for his hometown club of Church before returning to Blackpool to play for Blackpool F.C. He then went to Merseyside where, in football terms, he stayed and became a local favourite. He joined [[Bootle F.C.|Bootle]] in 1887 and that must be where Everton discovered him as he signed for Everton to play in their inaugural Football League season in August 1888. Holt was a relatively small man at 5&nbsp;ft 5in, but he was considered to be one of the best [[centre-half|centre-halves]] in the United Kingdom during the 1890s, as well as being a character in the game of football. He was a pocket dynamo with boundless energy, he could outjump the tallest opponent but was a temperamental player, known for his petty and crafty fouls performed on the blind side of the referee. His nickname, a bit of a mouthful, was "Little Everton Devil".<ref>{{cite book|last=Matthews|first=Tony|title=Who's Who of Everton|year=2004|publisher=Mainstream Publishing|isbn=1-84018-819-7|page=121}}</ref>

===1888–1889 season===
Holt made his League debut on 8 September 1888, as a [[wing-half]], at [[Anfield]], the then home of Everton. The home team defeated the visitors, [[Accrington F.C.|Accrington]] 2–1. He played in 17 of the 22 League matches played by Everton in season 1888–89. As a [[centre-half]] (13 appearances) he played in an Everton defence that achieved a clean sheet on two occasions and restricted the opposition to one–League–goal–in–a–match on four separate occasions.<ref>{{cite web | title= English National Football Archive| url=http://www.enfa.co.uk//| access-date=9 February 2018}} (registration & fee required)</ref>

===Rest of career===
In March 1890 Holt became the first Everton player to win an England cap when he was picked to play against Wales. Holt joined [[Reading F.C.|Reading]] in 1897. He played 208 times for Everton after 1888–89, scoring three goals. He also made 28 appearances in the FA Cup scoring 1 goal.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Englandstats}}

{{Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame}}
{{Reading F.C. Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Johnny}}
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:1865 births]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Church, Lancashire]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Lancashire]]
[[Category:Men's association football central defenders]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:Bootle F.C. (1879) players]]
[[Category:Everton F.C. players]]
[[Category:Reading F.C. players]]