fullname years clubs caps goals birth_place height position manageryears birth_date managerclubs article_title name
john ball ? -- ? 1948 -- 1950 1950 -- 1958 gravesend -lrb- guest -rrb- manchester united bolton wanderers 18 ? 22 200 0 ? 0 2 ince-in-makerfield , wigan , england 5 ft 10 in m 2 on right back 1960 -- 1963 13 march 1925 wigan athletic john ball -lrb- footballer , born 1925 -rrb-
 john ball
john ball -lrb- footballer , born 1925 -rrb-

john `` johnny '' ball -lrb- born 13 march 1925 -rrb- was an english footballer who played at right back for manchester united and bolton wanderers in the late 1940s and 1950s .
born in ince-in-makerfield , wigan , ball began his football career with wigan athletic during the second world war .
during the war , since many players were in the armed forces , those who remained with their clubs would often make guest appearances for other clubs to make up the numbers .
as well as playing for wigan , ball made guest appearances for gravesend .
in february 1948 , ball was signed by manchester united for a fee of # 2,000 .
he made his debut two months later , a 2 -- 0 defeat away to everton on 10 april 1948 .
in just over two years with united , ball was never a regular starter in the first team , serving as understudy to johnny carey at right back , and he made just 23 appearances in total for the club before being sold to bolton wanderers in september 1950 .
ball flourished at bolton , playing in 200 league games for the trotters .
his bolton career spanned eight seasons , from 1950 until his retirement from playing in 1958 .
he played in the ` matthews final ' in 1953 .
in 1960 , ball was appointed as manager of his first club , wigan athletic .
he remained in the position for three years , before retiring from football altogether and set up a painting and decorating business .
later he emigrated to live in australia .
