Biography
John Keers joined the Tigers in May 1925, the product of two years of scouting by City manager Bill McCracken. The outside left established himself in the reserves and observed from the sidelines as by the end of February 1926 City had drifted towards the lower reaches of the Second Division table. Keers made his debut against South Shields at the start of March alongside another Durham born debutant Ellis Jones, and City embarked on a five match unbeaten run that served to ease fears of relegation. Keers scored his only City goal in his third start, the opener in a 4-0 win against Stockport County. After eight consecutive starts Keers was dropped and Alec Thom, the experienced Scottish wideman that John had replaced, was restored to the first team. Keers was released on a free transfer in early May 1926.
John Mandell Keers was born in Pity Me, a colliery village to the north of Durham City, with his twin sister Emma, the eighth and ninth children of John Keers, a colliery worker, and his wife Annie. They later moved to Chopwell, further north in the Durham coalfield, and John became a coal miner at Chopwell Colliery in his teenage years. He came to organised football in his early 20s, joining Langley Park FC in 1923 and switching to Northern League side Tow Law Town the 1924 close season. Tow Law won the Northern League in 1924/25 season and Keers attracted the attention of Hull City’s extensive North Eastern scouting network.
Given a free transfer in May 1926, Keers returned to his County Durham roots and played for Annfield Plain. Within three months he had attracted the attention of Division Three North side Nelson, who signed Keers in December 1926. After three goals in eight first team appearances Keers was again on the move in July 1927 when he headed to Lincolnshire and joined Boston Town. A year later he returned to the North West and joined Macclesfield Town, then in 1929 he signed for Hyde FC. Keers settled in Hyde and played for the local team for nine years until he retired in 1938. He lived in Hyde for the rest of his life, becoming a lorry driver before dying in January 1963.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 6 March 1901, Pity Me
Hull City First Game: 3 March 1926, South Shields A (Division Two), 24 years, 362 days old
Hull City Final Game: 10 April 1926, Stoke City H (Division Two), 25 years, 35 days old
Clubs
Langley Park (1923-1924), Tow Law Town (1924-1925), Hull City (1925-1926), Annfield Plain (1926), Nelson (1926-1927), Boston Town (1927-1928), Macclesfield Town (1928-1929), Hyde (1929-1938)
Hull City Record
Career: 8 apps, 1 goals
John Keers| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925/26 | 8 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |