Percy Barton

Percival Harry "Percy" Barton (19 August 1895 – October 1961) was an England international footballer who played as a left half. He played for Birmingham both before and after the First World War, making 349 appearances in all competitions, and helped them to the championship of the Second Division in 1920–21.

Career

Barton was born in Edmonton, London where he attended Montague Road School. He worked as a butcher's boy on leaving school, and played football for a local team, Sultan F.C. One of his Sultan team-mates, Richard Gibson, had gone on to play professionally for Birmingham, and Gibson recommended Barton to the club. Barton signed for Birmingham in January 1914 at the age of 18, went straight into the first team, and missed only two league games in a season and a half before the Football League was suspended for the duration of the war.

He was a hard-working player, whose combative style did not always find favour with referees, resulting in him being sent off three times. He won seven caps for England between 1921 and 1924. Towards the end of his Birmingham career he played in positions other than his customary left-half; in the 1926–27 season he was used at left-back and later still he played centre-half or filled in occasionally on the right. After leaving Birmingham he spent four seasons with Stourbridge in the Birmingham & District League.

Barton died in October 1961 at the age of 66.