John James McLaughlin

John James McLaughlin “once played the game in Newcastle, NSW, with the Teralba club alongside team-mate J. O’Neill before they both headed west around 1903.” He represented Goldfields in the ‘ashes test’ in 1908 when his team beat the coastal team in front of 6000 spectators. Subsequently, the defender was selected in the 1909 WA squad. “Generally considered a safe yet resolute goal protector, he partnered Charles Bodenham in many ‘Coast vs. Goldfields’ games with a great deal of success. In fact, the two were among the leading Goldfields players at that time. McLaughlin was often utilized as an attacking defender, while Bodenham kept cover. As a person, J. McLaughlin was said to have a likeable temperament.”
Excerpted from Kreider’s Soccerites.