Charlie Fletcher (footballer)

Charles Alfred Fletcher (28 October 1905 – 22 August 1980) was an English professional football outside left, best remembered for his spells with Clapton Orient and Brentford in the Football League.

Charlie Fletcher
Personal information
Full name Charles Alfred Fletcher[1]
Date of birth 28 October 1905
Place of birth Homerton, England
Date of death 22 August 1980(1980-08-22) (aged 74)[2]
Place of death Hither Green, England[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[3]
Playing position(s) Outside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1928 Clapton Orient 0 (0)
1928–1929 Crystal Palace 7 (0)
1929–1930 Merthyr Town 24 (1)
1930–1933 Clapton Orient 120 (32)
1933–1936 Brentford 103 (24)
1936–1937 Burnley 62 (21)
1937–1938 Plymouth Argyle 23 (6)
1938–1945 Ipswich Town 29 (9)
1945 Leyton Orient
Total 321 (93)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

An outside left, Fletcher began his career at Clapton Orient and failed trials with Football League clubs Aston Villa and Plymouth Argyle,[4] before signing with Third Division South club Crystal Palace in 1928.[5] He made seven league appearances during the 1928–29 season,[5][6] before moving to division rivals Merthyr Town in August 1929.[2] Fletcher returned to Clapton Orient, who had by then been relegated to the basement division,[7] in 1930.[1] He became a regular at the Lea Bridge Stadium and scored 32 goals in 120 league matches to earn the nickname "Thunderboots".[8]

In August 1933, Fletcher moved across London to sign for newly-promoted Second Division club Brentford in a swap deal for Percy Whipp.[8] He was a virtual ever-present for the Bees during the 1933–34 and 1934–35 seasons and won promotion to the First Division with the club.[8] He fell out with manager Harry Curtis in November 1935 and dropped to the Second Division to sign for Burnley in February 1936 and then Plymouth Argyle in November 1937.[2][8][9] Fletcher transferred to Ipswich Town in November 1938 (during the club's debut league season) and remained registered at Portman Road during the Second World War.[10] After the war, Fletcher returned to the now-renamed Leyton Orient in December 1945,[2] but at age 40, he failed to make an appearance.[1]

Personal life

Fletcher attended Colegrave School and Stratford School in London.[2] Prior to becoming a professional footballer, he worked as a timber grinder.[3] During the Second World War, Fletcher worked as a lorry driver and then as a foreman in a munitions factory.[3]

Honours

Brentford

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1933–34[11] Second Division 41 10 1 0 42 10
1934–35[11] 42 9 1 0 43 9
1935–36[11] First Division 20 5 0 0 20 5
Total 103 24 2 0 105 24
Plymouth Argyle 1937–38[10] Second Division 18 5 1 0 19 5
1938–39[10] 5 1 0 0 5 1
Total 23 6 1 0 24 6
Ipswich Town 1938–39[2] Third Division South 29 9 5 1 34 10
Career total 155 39 8 1 163 40
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References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 100. ISBN 190589161X.
  2. "Pride of Anglia – Ipswich Town Football Club". prideofanglia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  3. Kaufman, Neilson. "VE Day WW2 players as at May 2020" (PDF). pp. 42–43. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  4. "Fletcher Charlie Ipswich Town 1939". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  5. Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1989). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. p. 324. ISBN 0907969542.
  6. Purkiss & Sands 1989, p. 150-151.
  7. Clapton Orient F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  8. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 58. ISBN 0955294916.
  9. "Brentford FC Moment in time: Sheffield United". Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  10. "Greens on Screen Database". www.greensonscreen.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 372–373. ISBN 0951526200.


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