Charlie Drinkwater

Charlie Drinkwater
Personal information
Full name Charles John Drinkwater[1]
Date of birth (1914-07-25)25 July 1914
Place of birth Willesden, England
Date of death 8 April 1998(1998-04-08) (aged 83)
Place of death Denham, England
Playing position Outside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1932–1933 Hampstead 1 (0)
1933 Northfleet United 0 (0)
1933–1934 Golders Green 24 (7)
1934 Brentford 0 (0)
1934–1935 Golders Green 23 (8)
1935 Walthamstow Avenue 0 (0)
1935–1938 Aston Villa 2 (1)
1938–1939 Charlton Athletic 3 (0)
1941 Watford 0 (0)
1944–1947 Watford 1 (0)
1951–1953 Ruislip Manor 0 (0)
National team
England Juniors 1 (0)
Teams managed
1951–1953 Ruislip Manor (player-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Charles John Drinkwater (25 July 1914 – 8 April 1998) was an English football outside left and manager who played for Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic and Watford in the Football League.

Club career

Non-league (1932–1935)

Drinkwater began his career at Athenian League side Hampstead in 1932, failing to make an appearance before moving to Northfleet United in March 1933.[2] He returned to Hampstead shortly afterwards and made his debut for the club in the penultimate game of the 1932–33 season, a 4–1 victory over Uxbridge Town.[3] Drinkwater remained with Hampstead (now renamed Golders Green) for the 1933–34 season and scored his first goal for the club in the opening game of the season, a 2–1 defeat to Walthamstow Avenue.[4] He scored 10 goals in 36 appearances during the campaign,[5] helping the Greens to a third-place finish in the league.[6] His form earned a move to Football League Division Two side Brentford as an amateur,[2] though he failed to make an appearance for the first team and returned to Golders Green for the start of the 1934–35 season, making 37 appearances and scoring 12 goals during the campaign.[3] Drinkwater moved to fellow Athenian League side Walthamstow Avenue before the end of the season.

Football League (1935–1947)

Drinkwater received another chance at league football when he signed for Division One side Aston Villa as an amateur in August 1935.[7] He signed a professional contract October that year.[7] Drinkwater's professional debut came in a league match versus Chelsea on 16 November 1935.[8] He instantly made a name for himself, scoring within three minutes of the kickoff.[9] The Straits Times reported that Drinkwater "trapped a centre with the coolness of a veteran, steadied himself and drove the ball into the net".[10] His parents were present at the match, his mother "gripped her husband's arm and wept with pride".[11] Drinkwater made his second appearance for Villa the following Saturday, in a 2–2 draw with bitter rivals Birmingham City.[8] Despite Villa's relegation to Division Two for the 1936–37 season, the derby appearance was Drinkwater's last for the club.[8] He joined Division One side Charlton Athletic in July 1938, but made just three appearances before being released in the summer of 1939.[2] The breakout of the Second World War halted organised league football until 1946, but Drinkwater had signed for Watford during the war.[2] His war service took him away from the club, but he re-signed in October 1944 and was an ever-present during the 1945–46 season, when an enlarged FA Cup programme was played instead of the league.[2] When league play returned, Drinkwater made just one appearance during Watford's 1946–47 Division Three South campaign and left the club at the end of the season.[2]

Return to non-league (1951–1953)

Drinkwater resumed his playing career in April 1953, when he joined London League side Ruislip Manor as player-manager.[2] He remained in the job until October 1953,[2] his best finish being second, during the 1952–53 season.[12]

Representative career

Burns made appearances for touring side Middlesex Wanderers in 1935.[13]

International career

Drinkwater made one appearance for England Juniors in 1935.[2]

Personal life

During the Second World War, Drinkwater served in the Royal Navy as a Physical Training Instructor.[2] After the war, he worked at Mount Vernon Hospital as a remedial gymnast for thirty years.[2]

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Golders Green 1932–33[5] Athenian League 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
1933–34[5] Athenian League 23 7 1 1 12[lower-alpha 1] 2 36 10
Total 24 7 1 1 12 2 37 10
Golders Green 1934–35[5] Athenian League 23 8 3 1 11[lower-alpha 2] 3 37 12
1935–36[5] 3 2 1 2 — 4 4
Golders Green total 50 15 5 4 23 5 78 26
Aston Villa 1935–36[8] First Division 2 1 0 0 — 2 1
Watford 1945–46[14] — — 2 0 — 2 0
1946–47[14] Third Division South 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
Total 1 0 2 0 — 3 0
Career total 53 16 7 4 23 5 83 25
  1. ↑ 4 appearances and 1 goal in FA Amateur Cup, 4 appearances and 1 goal in Middlesex Senior Cup, 3 appearances in Middlesex Senior Charity Cup, 1 appearance in London Senior Cup.
  2. ↑ 4 appearances and 2 goals in Amateur Football Alliance Senior Cup, 3 appearances in Middlesex Senior Charity Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in London Senior Cup, 1 appearance in FA Amateur Cup, 1 appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup.

References

  1. ↑ "Charlie Drinkwater". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016 – Players – Digweed-Elkes" (PDF). Hendonfc.net. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  3. 1 2 "Greensnet – Official Hendon FC: Hampstead 4–1 Uxbridge Town". Hendonfc.net. 1933-05-05. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  4. ↑ "Greensnet – Official Hendon FC: Results – Season 1933/1934". Hendonfc.net. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Greensnet – Official Hendon FC: Former Staff – Charlie Drinkwater". Hendonfc.net. 1914-06-25. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  6. ↑ "Football Club History Database – Golders Green". fchd.info. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Aston Villa Player Database". Aston Villa Player Database. 1914-06-25. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Charlie Drinkwater". 11v11.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Aston Villa v Chelsea, 16 November 1935 – 11v11 match report". 11v11.com. 1935-11-16. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  10. ↑ "Newspaper Article – THE VILLA MAKE ANOTHER CAPTURE". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  11. ↑ "Newspaper Article – AIR MAIL LETTER FROM LONDON". Eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  12. ↑ "Football Club History Database – Ruislip Manor". Fchd.info. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  13. ↑ "Newspaper Article – Untitled". nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016 » Seasons – 1940/41 to 1949/50" (PDF).
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