Charlie Fletcher (footballer)

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

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 (1.80 m)[3]
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)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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]

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

Honours

Brentford

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 100. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. "Charlie Fletcher". Pride of Anglia – Ipswich Town Football Club. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  3. Kaufman, Neilson. "VE Day WW2 players as at May 2020" (PDF). pp. 42–43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2020. 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. "Moment in time: Sheffield United". Brentford FC. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  10. "Charlie Fletcher". Greens on Screen Database. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 372–373. ISBN 0951526200.


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