*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
John Love
Appearances: 114+17 Goals: 6
Date / Year of birth: 11th February 1962
Position: Midfielder / Defender
Season of first appearance: 1983/84
Season of last appearance: 1990/91
Also played for: Ramsgate, Herne Bay, Sheppey United and Folkestone Invicta
Thanet-born player who initially joined Thanet United during the 1983/84 season, featuring regularly for the reserves during the campaign. John also made two first team appearances. He made his debut in a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Cambridge City on 7.1.84, playing in midfield. John also appeared as a centre-back in a 4-1 defeat at Poole on 24.3.84 but left the club in the summer of 1984.
He rejoined United from local football early in 1985 and became a regular in the reserves during the second half of the 1984/85 season. John also made one first team appearance, playing in midfield in a 2-1 defeat at Hastings in an Eastern Floodlight Cup tie on 7.3.85.
He stayed with United for the 1985/86 campaign but was suspended for the early part of the season. After serving his ban John re-established himself in Thanet's reserves for the remainder of 1985/86. He made two first team appearances during the campaign, the first of them in a 2-1 defeat at Hastings on 31.3.86 and the second as a substitute in a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Poole on 5.4.86.
John started the 1986/87 season in good form for the reserves and on 19.8.86 he scored a hat-trick for them in a 7-1 win over Deal Reserves. On 18.11.86 John made his first senior appearance of the campaign when he played in a 3-1 defeat at Canterbury. He had to wait until 1.1.87 for his next first team chance and John had a good game as United beat Ashford 3-1 at Hartsdown Park. The Thanet Times said he "earned maximum marks for wholehearted endeavour" and John then enjoyed a run of nine consecutive games in the first team. He continued to play regularly during the remainder of the season and on 21.3.87 he turned in a superb performance in a 1-1 draw with Gravesend & Northfleet at Hartsdown. John scored the Thanet goal with a stunning first-time volley from way outside the penalty area that the Thanet Times described as "a screaming shell of a shot which whistled into the net". The Isle of Thanet Gazette said that John was "promising" and he ended the season having made 18 appearances without scoring again.
During the early months of the 1987/88 campaign John was a fixture in Thanet's midfield and on 10.10.87 he scored a goal that the Thanet Times described as "outstanding" in a 1-1 draw with Woking at Hartsdown. It was an FA Cup tie and the paper said that his first-time volley from the edge of the penalty area "soared into the roof of the net" - a very similar strike to John's effort against Gravesend the previous season. He only missed one game up to January 1988 but after a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Dunstable on 9.1.88 John was released having made 32 appearances (two as sub) and scoring twice. United's player-manager Norman Fusco said "I am not making him a scapegoat for our weakness in midfield but I have to take positive action to rectify it."
John joined Herne Bay immediately after leaving Thanet but in the summer of 1988 he signed for Ramsgate.
Shortly before the start of the 1989/90 season John returned to Hartsdown Park and made his first appearance for Margate when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 home win over Corinthian on 12.9.89. On 23.9.89 he made his first start in midfield and scored as Margate beat Andover 3-0 in an FA Trophy tie at Hartsdown. John then played regularly for the rest of the season, usually in midfield but also as a centre-back, left-back and striker. He won praise from the local press for his performances and the Thanet Times said that he "had his inspired moments" in a 1-0 home defeat against Witney on 30.12.89. The paper later described John as being "canny" and felt that he was "outstanding" in a 1-0 win at Yate on 8.4.90, the second game of a 'double-header' weekend also featuring a match at Witney. In the aftermath of the trip John was fined a weeks' wages for his part in an escapade that involved the team coach making an unscheduled visit to Bristol the night before the Yate match. Several other players were also disciplined. Richard Hemmings and Carl Scriven were fined whilst Gary Moss and Alan Scotting were sacked over the incident.
By the end of the season John had made 44 appearances (five as sub) and scored three goals. The best of them was a last-minute equaliser that secured a 1-1 draw at Hounslow on 14.10.89. John drove home a shot from fully 25 yards and the Thanet Times said it was a "stunning" goal. He also scored a spectacular own goal to gift Canterbury an equaliser in a Kent Senior Cup tie at Hartsdown on 14.11.89. With seconds remaining and Margate winning 1-0 John managed to hook an attempted clearance way over keeper Joe Radford's head to send the match into an extra time period where no further goals were scored. City went on to win the replay.
John made his first appearance of the 1990/91 campaign and his 100th for the club when he came on as a sub in a 2-2 draw with Burnham at Hartsdown on 25.8.90. He then played twice at centre-back before suffering an ankle injury in September 1990. John was out for six weeks but once he'd recovered he became a regular in the side for the remainder of the season, mostly playing in the centre of the defence but also appearing at right-back, left-back and in his favoured midfield slot. The Thanet Times said that John was "dominant" at centre-back during a 1-1 draw at home to VS Rugby in the FA Trophy on 1.12.90. On 6.5.91 he played his final game for the club in the annual Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup game against Ramsgate at Southwood. The Rams won 1-0 and John finished the season having made 32 appearances (nine as sub) without scoring. He also played ten times for the reserves, scoring once for them.
After featuring in several Margate friendlies in the summer of 1991 John joined Herne Bay for 1991/92 and made over 100 appearances there before returning to Ramsgate in February 1994.
Towards the end of the 1994/95 campaign John left the Rams again and had a short spell with Sheppey before linking up with Folkestone in the summer of 1995.
He spent a season at Folkestone and then rejoined Ramsgate for 1996/97, his third spell with the club. John became player-assistant manager and scored over 20 goals for the Rams during the 1997/98 campaign. He stayed at Southwood until finally retiring from senior football in January 2002 aged 39. Ramsgate's manager Mark Weatherly told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "It did come as a shock. It is a bit disappointing."
John still played locally for Active Signs until the end of the 2003/04 season and by that time he'd been with the club for 18 years. One of his major honours was being chosen as the Thanet Premier Sunday League's 'Player of the Year' for 1989/90.
Looking back on his career in 2004 John told the local press that the highlight had been Thanet United's FA Cup tie at home to Bognor Regis in October 1987. The Sussex side won 4-0 but John said "it was great fun, especially as we didn't have a great side at the time."
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1983/84 (TUFC) |
2 (49) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (18TH OF 20) |
2QR |
1QR |
3R |
2R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1984/85 (TUFC) |
1 (62) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 20) |
1QR |
1QR |
GR |
SF |
RU |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1985/86 (TUFC) |
1 (59) |
1 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (15TH OF 21) |
1QR |
PR |
GR |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1986/87 (TUFC) |
18 (53) |
0 |
1 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 20) |
PR |
1QR |
GR |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1987/88 (TUFC) |
30 (56) |
2 |
2 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 21) |
4QR |
2QR |
GR |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1989/90 (MFC) |
39 (59) |
5 |
3 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (16TH OF 22) |
2QR |
2QR |
3R |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1990/91 (MFC) |
23 (54) |
9 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 21) |
3QR |
3QR |
2R |
1R |