Name: John Mapson
DOB: 2 May 1917
Position: Goalkeeper
Appearances: 382
Goals: 0
Sunderland career: 1935-53
PROFILE
From milk boy to legend, Johnny Mapson signed for Reading before joining Sunderland in 1936 for the sum of £2,000.
The passing of goalkeeper Jimmy Thorpe on 5 February 1936 propelled 18-year-old Mapson, who had just a handful of appearances in the Third Division with Reading, to Sunderland's championship-chasing first-team, but it was an ascendancy that proved to be the making of Mapson who went on to spend nearly two decades on Wearside.
Despite World War II interrupting his career, Mapson returned to Sunderland and formed a key part in the Bank of England era during the 1950s, featuring alongside the likes of Len Shackleton and Trevor Ford.