We were saddened to learn at the beginning of this week that former City player John Spilsbury had passed away on Thursday, 10 July 2025. John played 287 first-team games (1 goal) for City between 1951 and 1960 and was one of our oldest living players before his death.

He was known for his exceptional fitness levels, and it is said that he once played more than 100 consecutive matches. He was our leading appearance maker in two successive seasons, 1955/56 and 1956/57, and appeared in every match in our F.A. Cup run from the preliminary round to the first round proper in 1957.

John was born in Worcester on 27 October 1933. He came from a sporting family and was a fine all-round sportsman. He had played football for St Martin’s School, the Technical School and both the City and County Schools teams before joining Co-op Youth. He signed as an amateur for West Bromwich Albion in December 1948 and had a trial with Stoke City before signing for City as an amateur in 1951.

John became an England youth international when he was capped against Northern Ireland in Belfast on 19 April 1952, playing alongside Johnny Haynes, who famously went on to become the first English footballer to earn £100 per week. John, meanwhile, was happy to pursue a career as an electrician and play for his local club. It was City’s gain. He made his debut for the Reserves at the age of 16 and stepped up to the first team in September 1951, replacing former Chelsea player Danny Winter. He was an instant success, and he went on to feature in more games for us than any other player apart from Eddie Wilcox over the decade.

John turned professional in 1954, by which time he had become a first-team regular, playing at either right-back, left-back and centre-half, and was remarkably consistent. He had only just turned 23 by the time he completed his 200th first-team appearance.

At cricket, John was a right-handed batter and right-arm fast bowler. He made one First Class appearance for Worcestershire against Combined Services at New Road in June 1952, and in September 1952, John played in a new form of cricket under floodlights as part of a combined Worcester City FC/Worcester City CC team that played a Worcestershire XI at St. George’s Lane. It is thought to be only the third such match in England.

John missed the start of the 1958/59 season because of injury. He was replaced at centre-half by Les Melville. Manager Bill Jones had strengthened the playing squad, and John found it hard to regain his first-team place. He had the misfortune to break his leg in a reserve team game at Coventry City on Boxing Day 1958, and he listened to the famous F.A. Cup triumph over Liverpool the next month on the radio from a hospital bed in Warwick.

Unfortunately, he never fully recovered his form, and in 1960 he joined Kidderminster Harriers, who had just dropped down into the Birmingham League. He captained the team in his first season and a year later became player/coach. Sadly, another injury in September 1961 led to a 4½ month lay-off, and failure to re-gain his place in the side led to his contract being cancelled by mutual consent. In 1964, he had a brief spell at Bromsgrove Rovers before hanging up his boots for good.

His sporting roots came from his maternal grandfather, Aston Villa “Double” winner and England internationalist, Fred Wheldon. Fred’s sporting CV also included Worcestershire CCC, West Bromwich Albion FC and Worcester City FC. John’s uncle was Norris Wheldon, who played one game for Worcester City and in 1927 travelled to the USA as a member of the Worcestershire football team. John had other, more distant descendants excelling at both football and cricket.

John was also a top local squash player, a fine golfer and a keen bowls player too.

Tributes have described John as a lovely, modest gentleman. We were pleased to welcome him back to St. George’s Lane in 2009 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Liverpool game.
John was a much-respected local footballer who gave Worcester City F.C. great service for almost a decade. We send our sympathy and best wishes to his family.

Words by Douglas Gorman and Julian Pugh