John Foster had had a season in the Football League’s Division II with Blackpool, but it was at Southern League Watford that his sharp shooting skills attracted a massive fee of £800 from First Division Sunderland (see scrapbook section). It was a poor investment. His move to Roker Park coincided with a decline in his health and a consequent loss of form.

His doctor advised a move to the milder climate of the south, which he achieved first at West Ham and then – in an exchange deal with Fred Costello – at Southampton. Arriving at The Dell in March 1909, he featured in half of the remaining Southern League fixtures, but his one goal in six matches was not what was expected of him. So, climatic considerations notwithstanding, he moved to Huddersfield. But even as they were being admitted to the league’s Second Division in 1910, he was going non-league and soon becoming a self-employed chimney sweep. But over the next 25 years or so, he would have a succession of assistant posts, including working under Herbert Chapman, as the Huddersfield manager was establishing the reputation for winning things, that he would famously consolidate at Arsenal.

While at Southampton he did participate in a prestigious friendly match played in Paris vs Bristol Rovers.