Coleman made his debut against Preston North End on 6 September 1902, and in his first season was top scorer with 17 goals in 30 matches, as Arsenal finished third.

Coleman's season was topped with Arsenal reaching the FA Cup semi-finals (which they lost to Newcastle United), and his one and only cap for England, against Ireland on 16 February 1907.

[3] Despite their success on the pitch, Woolwich Arsenal were suffering from financial difficulties, and willingly accepted a bid of £700 for Coleman from Everton in February 1908, near the end of the 1907–08 season.

Coleman was a regular during the two and a half seasons he spent at Goodison Park, helping the Toffees to runners-up spot in 1908–09, and scoring 30 goals in 71 league appearances.

[7] He died at St Mary Abbots Hospital in November 1940, at the age of 59, when he fell through the roof of a generating station in South Kensington.