Joe Hulme
In 1904 future Arsenal winger Hulme who would help the Gunners to three league titles and two FA Cups in the 1930s was born.
Hulme started off his career at his local side Stafford YMCA before joining non-league team York City of the Midland League in October 1922.
Within two years he moved to Blackburn Rovers in 1924 for £250 which wouldn’t buy you a single player even at the highest tier of non-league football today! He stayed at Ewood Park featuring in 74 league matches grabbing six goals.
In 1926 legendary Arsenal manager who later won two First Division titles and an FA Cup brought Hulme down south to Highbury being famously one of the manager’s first buys. The winger renowned for his speed and movement on the ball spent 12 years at The Gunners. He would make his debut at Elland Road against Leeds United not long after signing which later saw him chosen for the Football League XI that season and the next.
In 1927 Hulme was called up for England for the first time against Scotland at Hampden Park, between then and 1933 he played for his country on nine occasions scoring four times. During the same campaign the winger ended up playing in his first ever cup final which witnessed Arsenal defeated 1-0 by Cardiff City. Three years later he managed to get his hands on a winner’s medal after Arsenal beat Huddersfield 2-0 in the FA Cup final at the same venue Wembley.
Hulme remained Arsenals main right-winger till the 1932/33 title winning season where he earned a reputation for his goals, where during the campaign which saw him win his second championship after 1931 he netted 20 times picking up two hat-tricks in the league against Sunderland and Middlesbrough. The previous year he achieved 18 goals.
Come the end of 1933/34 season Hulme lost out on a championship winner’s medal due to injury despite netting five times in eight matches. The next year he managed to finally achieve another one after Arsenal clinched the 1934/35 First Division Treble after playing 16 games. However at this point due to more injury and poor form Hulme had lost his place as a regular in the first team jostling for position with Pat Beasley and Alf Kirchen.
In 1936 Joe won his final accolade at Arsenal helping them secure the 1936 FA Cup which they edged 1-0 past Sheffield United, becoming the first player to play in The Gunners first ever four FA Cup finals.
The last year and a half at Arsenal till 1938 saw Hulme find difficulty in getting a spot in the starting line-up playing in only a further ten matches. His last game was against Liverpool in December 1937.
In January of 1938 Hulme transitioned to Huddersfield Town after having achieved a goal tally of 125 strikes for Arsenal in 374 matches, seeing him stand today as The Gunners eighth all-time top goalscorer. For the rest of the season he earned an FA Cup runners-up medal after The Terriers were defeated 1-0 by Preston North End in the final at Wembley. A week later Hulme missed out on another title medal after Arsenal won the 1937/38 First Division Championship.
After World War Two which cut his career short by six years Hulme managed Arsenals old arched meniscus Tottenham in 1946 for three years. He built the team which led to promotion from the Second Division during the 1949/50 season and then the top tier of English football for the first team time the following campaign under Bill Nicholson.
In September 1991 aged 87 after winning three league titles and an FA Cup with Arsenal Hulme passed away.
Liam Harding
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