GoS-DB Players

Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean.Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle's history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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JOHN WILSON

Note: Some say he was James or Jimmy and came from Swindon Town, and later left Argyle for Cowdenbeath. All these statements are incorrect - see the footnote to his profile.

Full Name: John Grant Wilson

Came from: Dalkeith Thistle Went to: St Bernard's (Edinburgh)

First game: 17 October 1931 Last game: 24 October 1931

Appearances: 2 (2/0) Goals: 0

Wilson was an Edinburgh-born inside-forward who came to Home Park as a young man from Dalkeith Thistle, a club a few miles from Scotland's capital, in the summer of 1931. He managed just two appearances at inside-right that October, but did finish with an unblemished record: a 5-1 home win against Nottingham Forest and 0-1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur. After two seasons in the Reserves, Wilson returned home to Edinburgh to sign for St Barnard's.

Footnote: It is common for publications to call him James or Jimmy, and some say that he came from Swindon Town and later left Argyle for Cowdenbeath, but none of these suggestions are correct. The reports of his move to Home Park in the Dundee Courier on 3rd June 1931 and the Western Morning News on 5th June 1931 show him to be John Wilson from Dalkeith Thistle. The WMN on 5th July 1931 lists him as John G. Wilson, and the club handbook for the 1931-32 season confirms him as J.G. Wilson from Dalkeith Thistle. The Dundee Evening Telegraph on 19th July 1933 reports that the day before, John Wilson left Argyle for St Bernard's, an Edinburgh club. A year later, a John Grant Wilson played for Edinburgh City at inside forward, so it seems highly likely that is the same player, and therefore tells us his full name.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.