Born: Oxford, 30 November 1907
Died: Southampton, 3 April 1984
Position: Winger
International caps: 1
International goals: 0
Signed: 1 July 1932 from Southampton (£3,000)
Fulham debut: Fulham 3-3 Bury, 18 February 1933
Fulham appearances: 213
Fulham goals: 62
Sold: 1 November 1944 (retired)
Legendary winger John Arnold was a double international having represented England in the Lord’s Test against New Zealand – and later becoming a first-class cricket umpire – before winning his sole football cap for the Three Lions against Scotland at Hampden Park in April 1933. He joined Fulham in February 1933 and helped the Whites reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup three years later, starring in the wins over Chelsea and Derby County. Arnold scored Fulham’s goal as they lost 2-1 to Sheffield United at Molineux.
He was a regular in the Fulham side until just before the end of the Second World War, producing a virtuoso performance as the Whites lost a London War Cup semi-final against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge in 1940. Arnold packed cigarettes and tobacco for the forces during the early years of the war whilst guesting for Walsall, Southampton, Bristol City and Cowley.
As a cricketer, Arnold was an outstanding opening batsman – scoring more than 21,000 runs for Hampshire, hitting 37 hundreds, between 1929 and 1950. He stood as an umpire alongside his former Fulham team-mate Jim Hammond in the 1960s. Arnold died only a week after his Southampton and Fulham stalwart Mike Keeping in Hampshire in 1984.
