Les Boulter | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 August 1913 Ebbw Vale, Wales |
| Died | 30 November 1974 (aged 61)[1] |
Leslie Mervyn Boulter (31 August 1913 – 30 November 1974) was a Welsh professional football inside left, best remembered for his time in the Football League with Charlton Athletic , with whom he ascended from the Third Division South to the First Division in successive seasons in the mid-1930s. He scored on his only appearance for Wales at international level.
Club career[]
Charlton Athletic[]
An inside left, Boulter began his career at Second Division club Charlton Athletic .[2] After suffering relegation to the Third Division South in 1933, Boulter was part of the team which completed a meteoric rise to First Division, in two seasons,[3] securing the Third Division South title in 1934–35 and a runners-up finish in the Second Division in 1935–36.[4] The Addicks challenged for the league championship in their first three seasons in the top-flight.[5] Boulter departed The Valley in February 1939, after making 176 appearances and scoring 29 goals during his time with the club.[2]
Brentford[]
Boulter moved to London First Division rivals Brentford in February 1939, for a £5,000 fee.[2] Signing on the same day as forward Tommy Cheetham, the pair made their debuts in a 4–2 defeat to Aston Villa on 7 February.[6] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Bolton Wanderers just over a month later.[6] Boulter and Cheetham's signings boosted the struggling Bees into mid-table, but a late slump saw the club narrowly avoid relegation.[7] Boulter made just one appearance in the 1939–40 season (before competitive football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War), which came in a 5–1 Football League Jubilee Fund defeat to Chelsea on 19 August 1939.[6]
Boulter was held on a retainer throughout the war by Brentford and was transfer-listed at the end of the 1946–47 season,[2] due to concerns over his weight and lack of speed upon his return from Army service.[8] He re-signed in May 1946 and departed the club in 1947, without having made any further competitive appearances.[2] Boulter made 17 competitive appearances and scored one goal during his time at Griffin Park.[2]
Wartime guest appearances[]
Boulter appeared as a guest for Manchester City and Blackpool during the Second World War.[9][10]
Yeovil Town[]
Boulter dropped into non-league football to sign for Southern League club Yeovil Town in 1947.[11] He scored five goals during the 1947–48 season and helped the Glovers to an eighth-place finish.[12]
International career[]
Boulter won one cap for Wales, scoring in a 3–1 British Home Championship victory over Ireland on 15 March 1939.[13]
Honours[]
Charlton Athletic
- Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1935–36[3]
- Football League Third Division South: 1934–35[3]
Career statistics[]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brentford | 1938–39[6] | First Division | 16 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | |
| Career total | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
References[]
- ↑ "Les Boulter (footballer)". National Football Teams. http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=36354. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 24. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Boulter Les Image 2 Brentford 1939" (in en-GB). https://www.vintagefootballers.com/product/boulter-les-image-2-brentford-1939/.
- ↑ Charlton Athletic F.C. at the Football Club History Database
- ↑ "Charlton Athletic Complete History - Statto.com". http://www.statto.com/football/teams/charlton-athletic/history.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 White, Eric, ed (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 375. ISBN 0951526200.
- ↑ "Brentford Home Page for the 1938-1939 season - Statto.com". http://www.statto.com/football/teams/brentford/1938-1939.
- ↑ ""BEES" RE-SIGN BOULTER". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 24 May 1946.
- ↑ ASKmultimedia. "MCFC STATS – THE Unofficial Man City Stats, News and Trivia Website". Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110128113413/http://www.mcfcstats.com/. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "FOOTBALLERS – WAR TIME GUESTS". http://www.jfcollectibles.co.uk/index.php?subject_code=football&set_code=FOWATIGU. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "Yeovil Town Goalscorers Between 01/01/1940 and 31/12/1949". http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/ASP/statistics/season_goals.asp?MatchType=First%20Team&FromDate=01/01/1940&ToDate=31/12/1949. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "Yeovil Town : First Team Results : 1947–48 Season". http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/asp/statistics/season-results.asp?SeasonName=1947-48. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ "Wales v Ireland, 15 March 1939". 11v11.com. http://www.11v11.com/matches/wales-v-ireland-15-march-1939-224951/. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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