Biography

Outside left James Alexander “Alec” Bloxham signed for the Tigers in October 1947 from Ollerton Colliery, after impressing City’s scouts in a Midland League match at Scarborough. Bloxham was born at Pleasley, a colliery village near Mansfield and lived in Chesterfield while serving the Royal Air Force as an engineer during World War Two, a conflict that denied Alec the early years of his footballing career. He played occasionally for Mansfield Town, Nottingham Forest and Leicester CIty during the war and was offered a contract by Forest, which he declined, before joining the Tigers. City manager Frank Buckley used Bloxham predominantly on the left wing during the 1947/48 season but also gave him a handful of starts at outside right. While Bloxham wasn’t a goalscorer, he made a contribution to the build-up to shooting chances and was a regular choice until Buckley left the club in April 1948. His replacement, player-manager Raich Carter, retained Alec until the penultimate game of the season but during the summer months he refused the offer of revised terms by the club.
Bloxham remained at City for two more seasons but was no longer first choice as the acquisition of Carter’s star-studded City squad, coupled with his contract dispute, meant he spent most of his time in the reserves. He made five starts over the 1948 festive period as City dominated Division Three North, starting and scoring the winner in the Christmas Day clash between table toppers Hull City and Rotherham United that the Tigers won 3-2 in front of 49,655 fans, at the time a City and divisional record gate. Carter picked Bloxham just twice over the next 15 months before again giving him a short run of games in the Second Division at the end of the 1949/50 season that began superbly but faded into disappointment after a poor run of results in the New Year. Bloxham’s five games in April 1950 resulted in one win, three draws and one defeat and he scored his second and final goal in a 2-2 draw against West Ham United. Bloxham left City in the summer of 1950 after being placed on the transfer list with a £3,000 fee on his head.
Unable to sign for another Football League club unless the fee demanded by City was paid, Bloxham headed to Lincolnshire and had four successful years at Midland League side Boston United. Alec made 162 starts for the Pilgrims in all competitions, playing in a variety of positions, and scored 22 goals before joining Skegness Town in 1954 and retiring in 1957. While playing in Lincolnshire Alec also worked as a fruit and vegetable salesman in Skegness.
After football Alec returned to work with the Royal Air Force, he was based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and lived in the nearby village of Bradenstoke. He died in Swindon during the latter months of 1982.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 2 July 1920, Pleasley
Hull City First Game: 25 October 1947, Darlington H (Division Three North), 27 years, 115 days old
Hull City Final Game: 22 April 1950, Luton Town H (Division Two), 29 years, 294 days old
Clubs
Ollerton Colliery, Hull City (1947-1950), Boston United (1950-1954), Skegness Town (1954-1957)
Hull City Record
Career: 38 apps, 2 goals
Alec BloxhamSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1947/48 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1948/49 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1949/50 | 6 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |