About: Jack Powell (footballer, born 1860)

John Powell (25 March 1860 – 16 March 1947) was a Welsh association footballer who played as a full-back for Newton Heath in the late 1880s. Born in , near Wrexham, Powell began his football career with Druids in 1879, with whom he won the Welsh Cup three times and reached the final twice more. In October 1883, he joined Bolton Wanderers, becoming the first Welsh player to move to England in pursuit of a professional football career; however, professionalism was not legalised until July 1885, and he had to leave the club after 21 months. After moving to Manchester to become a fitter with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway at their carriage and wagon works in Newton Heath, he joined the company's football team and played in their first major competitive fixture, an FA Cup First Round tie