Ernie Watkins (footballer, born 1898)

Ernest Thomas Watkins (3 April 1898 – 10 October 1976) was an English professional footballer who scored 87 goals from 202 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham, Southend United, Brentford, Millwall, Fulham, Gillingham and Charlton Athletic.[3]

Not to be confused with Ernest Watkins (footballer, born 1878).

Ernie Watkins
Watkins while with Brentford in 1926
Personal information
Full name Ernest Thomas Watkins[1]
Date of birth (1898-04-03)3 April 1898
Place of birth Finchley, England
Date of death 10 October 1976(1976-10-10) (aged 78)
Place of death Finchley, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1920–1921 Barnet
1921–1922 Finchley
1922–1924 Birmingham 8 (1)
1924–1926 Southend United 32 (15)
1926–1930 Brentford 120 (55)
1930 Millwall 6 (0)
1930–1931 Fulham 17 (10)
1931 Gillingham 4 (0)
1931–1932 Charlton Athletic 15 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Watkins was born in Finchley, which was then part of Middlesex. He began his playing career in local football with Barnet and Finchley before joining Birmingham in October 1922.[4][5] He went straight into the starting XI for his debut in the First Division on 4 November in a goalless draw at home to Cardiff City. He scored in the return fixture the following week, and kept his place for a few more games before dropping to the reserves. After that he played only twice more for the first team, standing in for the unavailable Jackie Whitehouse,[6] then returned to the south-east of England in February 1924 to join Southend United.[4]

Watkins scored at a rate of a goal every other game for Southend, with 17 goals from 34 games in all competitions, including 15 from 32 in the Third Division South,[7] but late in 1925 he was required to play for the reserves. He scored four goals as Southend beat Chelsea reserves 5–1 in the London Combination on New Year's Eve, but a "breach of club rules" occurring later that day brought the player a two-week suspension and a place on the transfer list.[8] A few days later he signed for fellow Third Division club Brentford in a £1000 transfer, at the time the club's record fee paid.[9]

Described as "a goal poacher whose best work was done inside the area",[4] Watkins was Brentford's leading scorer in both the 1926–27 and 1928–29 seasons (becoming the first Bees player to hit 20 league goals in a season)[9] and, as of 2014, lay eighth in the club's all-time scorers list with 59 goals from 130 appearances.[10] In February 1930 he joined Millwall of the Second Division, and then completed his tour of London- and Kent-based Third Division clubs which took in spells with Fulham, Gillingham and Charlton Athletic. In February 1932, while a Charlton player, he sustained a knee injury which forced his retirement from the game at the end of the 1931–32 season.[4]

Watkins died in his native Finchley on 10 October 1976 at the age of 78.[4][11]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[3]
Club Season League FA Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Birmingham 1922–23 First Division810081
Southend United 1923–24 Third Division South15400154
1924–25 Third Division South200020
1925–26 Third Division South1511221713
Total 3215223417
Brentford 1925–26 Third Division South1911—1911
1926–27 Third Division South3520744224
1927–28 Third Division South2910103010
1928–29 Third Division South3614203814
1929–30 Third Division South100010
Total 1205510413059
Millwall 1929–30 Second Division600060
Fulham 1930–31 Third Division South1710322012
Gillingham 1931–32 Third Division South40—40
Charlton Athletic 1931–32 Second Division15610166
Career totals 2028716821895

Honours

Brentford

  • London Charity Fund: 1928[12]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. Brum Junior (20 August 1923). "Prospects of the clubs in the First Division of the League. Birmingham". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
  3. "Player search: Watkins, ET (Ernie)". English National Football Archive (ENFA). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  5. "Watkins Ernie Southend United 1924". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. Matthews, p. 165.
  7. "Ernie Watkins". Southend United FC Database. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  8. "Shrimpers Put Five Past Chelsea". The Little Gazette. FootyMad. 2 January 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  9. Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City 07/05/05. 2005. p. 46.
  10. "Player stats: Goals". brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  11. Day, Richard (10 October 2012). "On This Day". Gillingham F.C. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. Argus (16 November 1928). "A Changed Brentford". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
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