John Elsworthy (26 July 1931 – 3 May 2009) was a Welsh footballer. A midfielder, he was signed by Ipswich Town manager Scott Duncan in May 1949, after playing as an amateur for Newport County. He played all his professional club football for Ipswich Town. He won four championship medals during Ipswich's rise up the divisions in the 1950s. As a member of Ipswich, he won Division Three (South) in 1953–54 and 1956–57, Division Two in 1960–61, and the Division One league championship in 1961–62. He was selected to play for the Third division South representative team in 1956–57.

Elsworthy was part of the Wales squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, but didn't travel to Sweden as the Welsh FA were too short of money to send a full squad. Although a member of the World Cup squad, Elsworthy was in fact never capped by his country. In all competitions, he played 435 games and scored 53 goals for Ipswich Town between 1949 and 1965. He was an inductee of the Ipswich Hall of Fame.

John Elsworthy

After retiring from football he ran a post office branch in Ipswich. In his later years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died in May 2009, aged 77.

John Elsworthy

Honours

Ipswich Town

Football League First Division: 1961–62

Football League Second Division: 1960–61

Football League Third Division South: 1953–54, 1956–57

Individual

Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2008

See also

List of one-club men in association football

References

1931 births

2009 deaths

Deaths from Alzheimer's disease

Deaths from dementia in England

Ipswich Town F.C. players

English Football League players

Newport County A.F.C. players

People from Usk

Sportspeople from Monmouthshire

Welsh men's footballers

1958 FIFA World Cup players

Men's association football wing halves

John Elsworthy