A Fox and a White

Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Leicester

A-D

96) Jimmy Blessington

PNE 15 apps; 1 goal

Foxes 100 apps; 19 goals

PNE debut 05/03/1898 v Stoke (H) - Drawn 0-0

964) Wayne Brown

PNE 6 apps; 0 goals

Foxes 13 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 28/10/2008 v Watford (H) - Won 2-0

103) Matthew Brunton

PNE 8 apps; 2 goals

Foxes 5 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 02/09/1899 v Nottingham Forest (A) - Lost 1-3

474) Willie Corbett

PNE 19 apps; 0 goals

Foxes 16 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 21/08/1948 v Portsmouth (H) - Drawn 2--2

877) Richard Cresswell

PNE 187 apps; 49 goals

Foxes 8 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 14/03/2001 v Wolves (H) - Won 2-0

622) Graham Cross

PNE 45 apps; 1 goal

Foxes 499 apps; 29 goals

PNE debut 13/08/1977 v Port Vale (A) - Lost 1-2

908) John Curtis

PNE 12 apps; 0 goals

Foxes 15 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 11/09/2004 v Stoke (H) - Won 3-0

906) Callum Davidson

PNE 125 apps; 14 goals

Foxes 101 apps; 2 goals

PNE debut 14/08/2004 v Gillingham (A) - Lost 1-2

591) Roger Davies

PNE 2 apps; 0 goals

Foxes 26 apps; 6 goals

PNE debut 26/08/1972 v Q.P.R. (H) - Drawn 1-1

Player Profile - James Blessington

James Blessington was born in Linlithgow on 28 February 1874 and played in the Inside Right position.

His early career was in Scotland joining Leith Hibernian in 1888 with Hibernian a year later. In 1891 it was Leith Alethic before joining Celetic in 1892. He stayed for five years and won three Scottish Championships with Celtic in 1892/93; 1893/94 and 1895/96. Blessington also picked up two Scottish Cup runners up medals in 1893/94 and 1894/95 and won 4 Scottish Caps.

In 1897/98 Blessington joined Preston and made his debut in the number eight shirt in a 0-0 draw at Deepdale against Stoke on 5 March 1898 and played in five of the last six matches.

His only goal for Preston came in a 2-2 draw in the following season on 19 November 1898. His last of his 15 appearances for the Lilywhites came in a 1-0 home victory on 18 February against Sheffield United.

The 1899/1900 season saw Blessington make 2 appearances for Derby before going into the Southern League with Bristol City and Luton in 1900.

In 1903 Blessington joined Second Division Leicester Fosse and scored 7 goals in 34 appearances as the club finished in eighteenth position. The 1904/05 season saw them finish four places higher and netted twice in 28 appearances.

Leicester continued to rise up the table finishing in seventh position and scored seven goals in 29 appearances in 1905/06.

Blessington became their first ever team manager in 1907, scoring twice in seven appearances as they finished third. The 19/07/08 season saw Leicester finish runners up to Bradford City with Blessington just making one appearance.

Their stay in the top division was short with Blessing leaving in February 1909 and scored in his only game of the season to take his tally to 19 goals from 100 league appearances. Leicester finished bottom of the table in 1908/09 and had conceded 102 goals from 38 appearances

In 1911 he became trainer to Cliftonville and was appointed coach to Belfast Celtic in 1913. In 1914 he was due to go to Germany for a coaching appointment but the First World War started.

After being in the Merchant Navy he became manager of Abertillery and then a licensee in Guernsey and the West Country.

Blessington died in 1939.