Bert Head
Encyclopedia
Bertram James Head was an English
professional football
player and manager.
and began his career with his local team before joining Welton Rovers
. He moved to Torquay United
in October 1936 and made his debut, at right-back, in a 1–0 win at home to Aldershot
on November 7, 1936. He was not a regular for his first two seasons with Torquay, but was an ever-present in the 1938–39 season before his career was interrupted by War
. When league football resumed in August 1946, Head was again a first choice in the Torquay team, although by now had moved to the centre of defence. He went on to make over 200 league appearances for Torquay before joining Bury
in February 1952.
He played eleven times for Bury that season, with a further eleven league appearances the following season before retiring to the Bury coaching staff.
, Head progressed to Chief Scout and then Assistant Manager with the club before taking over as manager of Swindon Town
in October 1955.
It was an unenviable job. Swindon finished the season just one place off the bottom in the 1956–57 season, and having to apply for re-election. With the league being restructured at the end of the 1957/58 season, it would be crucial for the Town to finish in the top half of the table – to avoid having to become founder members of the newly created Fourth Division. Against all the odds, Swindon finished just three points behind the leaders, Brighton & Hove Albion
in fourth place, and took their place in Division Three. In contrast, Head's former side, Torquay, had finished runners-up to Ipswich Town
on goal average the previous season, but finished fourth from bottom in 1957–58 and found themselves in the new Division Four.
With little money available for transfers, Head set up a youth system, which aimed to develop young players in some of the local leagues. Gradually, these players were blooded in the first team. Shortly before the 1960/61 season, Head arranged a trial match between the "Probables" and the "Possibles" – the Probables were the older, experienced players, the Possibles were a team of youngsters. When the Possibles won the game convincingly, it persuaded Head to start the season with a young team, which included the youngest ever full-back pairing of John Trollope
and Terry Wollen – both of whom were aged just seventeen.
This system produced many future Swindon greats – Trollope, Mike Summerbee
, Bobby Woodruff
, Ernie Hunt
, Keith Morgan, Roger Smart
, Rod Thomas
, David 'Bronco' Layne
and Don Rogers
to name but a few – and, as they gradually climbed the league table, the team earned the nickname, "Bert's Babes". After finishing 9th in 1961/62, Head guided Swindon to their first ever promotion the following season.
Swindon's first season in Division Two started brilliantly. The young side won their first six games, leaving them three points clear at the top of the table – and didn't lose until the tenth game, when they were brought crashing back down to earth with a 4–0 defeat at Northampton Town
. Suddenly, their form deserted them and in November 1963, they went five games without scoring a goal. They finished the season in a respectable mid-table position.
The 1964/65 season started as it meant to go on. An early injury to goalkeeper Norman Oakley sent Town crashing to a 6–1 defeat. As the season went on, more players succumbed to injury – and crucially, the highly-rated forward Ernie Hunt was missed most often – firstly with appendicitis
, then with a broken foot. Gradually, Town were sucked into a relegation battle, and, when the final day of the season came, Swindon and Portsmouth
were level on points, with the Town having superior goal average.
Both teams were away – Swindon at Southampton
, Portsmouth at Northampton. Amazingly, the League allowed the Pompey game to kick off later in the evening, and when Town lost 2–1 at The Dell, Portsmouth knew they needed only a draw to keep them up. With Northampton already promoted, Pompey got their draw, and condemned Town back to Division Three. They had been unlucky – but the Town board showed no mercy, rather harshly sacking Head in August 1965 – the man who had previously turned the fortunes of the club.
Head returned to Bury as manager the same month, where he was forced to sell Colin Bell
to Manchester City
, a move that infuriated many Bury fans.
He left Bury in April 1966 to manage Crystal Palace
. Although he had limited financial resources at his disposal he guided Palace into the top flight in 1969 for the first time in their history, and kept them up for the following two seasons. In March 1973 he was moved upstairs to a general manager's post until the end of the season, replaced by the flamboyant Malcolm Allison
who took Palace back to Division Three over the course of the next two seasons. Head left Palace in May 1973 and also managed Bath City
for a spell in the same year.
He became a director of Bath City in 1975, resigning from the board in 1982. He also worked as a scout for Swindon Town.
Head died in February 2002 in Reading, Berkshire
, aged 85. His wife Ginny had died eight years previously, but he left two sons, David, who played professionally for Reading
, and Roger and a daughter, Sue.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager.
Playing career
Head was born in Midsomer NortonMidsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
and began his career with his local team before joining Welton Rovers
Welton Rovers F.C.
Welton Rovers Football Club is an English non-league football club who play at West Clewes, North Road, Midsomer Norton, Somerset in the Western Football League Division One. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.-Early club history:...
. He moved to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
in October 1936 and made his debut, at right-back, in a 1–0 win at home to Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
on November 7, 1936. He was not a regular for his first two seasons with Torquay, but was an ever-present in the 1938–39 season before his career was interrupted by War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. When league football resumed in August 1946, Head was again a first choice in the Torquay team, although by now had moved to the centre of defence. He went on to make over 200 league appearances for Torquay before joining Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
in February 1952.
He played eleven times for Bury that season, with a further eleven league appearances the following season before retiring to the Bury coaching staff.
Coaching and managerial career
After beginning his coaching career at Gigg LaneGigg Lane
Gigg Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it was built for Bury F.C. in 1885, and has been their home ever since.-History:...
, Head progressed to Chief Scout and then Assistant Manager with the club before taking over as manager of Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
in October 1955.
It was an unenviable job. Swindon finished the season just one place off the bottom in the 1956–57 season, and having to apply for re-election. With the league being restructured at the end of the 1957/58 season, it would be crucial for the Town to finish in the top half of the table – to avoid having to become founder members of the newly created Fourth Division. Against all the odds, Swindon finished just three points behind the leaders, Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in fourth place, and took their place in Division Three. In contrast, Head's former side, Torquay, had finished runners-up to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on goal average the previous season, but finished fourth from bottom in 1957–58 and found themselves in the new Division Four.
With little money available for transfers, Head set up a youth system, which aimed to develop young players in some of the local leagues. Gradually, these players were blooded in the first team. Shortly before the 1960/61 season, Head arranged a trial match between the "Probables" and the "Possibles" – the Probables were the older, experienced players, the Possibles were a team of youngsters. When the Possibles won the game convincingly, it persuaded Head to start the season with a young team, which included the youngest ever full-back pairing of John Trollope
John Trollope (footballer)
Norman John Trollope MBE is a former footballer, manager and coach who served Swindon Town for twenty years.A Swindon Town legend, Trollope holds the record for the number of league appearances made for one club - turning out for the Town in 770 games between 1960 and 1980, an achievement which...
and Terry Wollen – both of whom were aged just seventeen.
This system produced many future Swindon greats – Trollope, Mike Summerbee
Mike Summerbee
Mike Summerbee is an English former footballer, who played in the successful Manchester City side of the late 1960s and early 1970s....
, Bobby Woodruff
Bobby Woodruff
Robert William "Bobby" Woodruff is a former English professional footballer.Woodruff began his career at his hometown club Swindon Town where he broke into the first team at 18. He was a regular in the side before joining Wolves in 1964 for forty thousand pounds...
, Ernie Hunt
Ernie Hunt
Roger Patrick "Ernie" Hunt is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Swindon Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers and Bristol City, and for the Los Angeles Wolves in the United Soccer Association. At international level, he was capped...
, Keith Morgan, Roger Smart
Roger Smart
Roger Smart is a retired football Inside Forward.He made his way from schoolboy teams to work up through the youth ranks at Swindon Town before making his début in the reserves in April 1960....
, Rod Thomas
Rod Thomas
Rod Thomas is a Welsh former professional footballer who represented Wales at International level.During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City, Swindon Town, Derby County, Cardiff City, Gloucester for a second spell and Newport County.Swindon Town manager Bert Head brought Thomas to the...
, David 'Bronco' Layne
David Layne
David "Bronco" Layne is a former English footballer most famous for playing for Sheffield Wednesday and his involvement in the British betting scandal of 1964....
and Don Rogers
Don Rogers (footballer)
Donald Rogers is an English former footballer who has often been seen as the most exciting player to pull on a Swindon Town shirt; his principal rival in this respect being Harold Fleming...
to name but a few – and, as they gradually climbed the league table, the team earned the nickname, "Bert's Babes". After finishing 9th in 1961/62, Head guided Swindon to their first ever promotion the following season.
Swindon's first season in Division Two started brilliantly. The young side won their first six games, leaving them three points clear at the top of the table – and didn't lose until the tenth game, when they were brought crashing back down to earth with a 4–0 defeat at Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
. Suddenly, their form deserted them and in November 1963, they went five games without scoring a goal. They finished the season in a respectable mid-table position.
The 1964/65 season started as it meant to go on. An early injury to goalkeeper Norman Oakley sent Town crashing to a 6–1 defeat. As the season went on, more players succumbed to injury – and crucially, the highly-rated forward Ernie Hunt was missed most often – firstly with appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
, then with a broken foot. Gradually, Town were sucked into a relegation battle, and, when the final day of the season came, Swindon and Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
were level on points, with the Town having superior goal average.
Both teams were away – Swindon at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, Portsmouth at Northampton. Amazingly, the League allowed the Pompey game to kick off later in the evening, and when Town lost 2–1 at The Dell, Portsmouth knew they needed only a draw to keep them up. With Northampton already promoted, Pompey got their draw, and condemned Town back to Division Three. They had been unlucky – but the Town board showed no mercy, rather harshly sacking Head in August 1965 – the man who had previously turned the fortunes of the club.
Head returned to Bury as manager the same month, where he was forced to sell Colin Bell
Colin Bell
Colin Bell MBE , is a former English football player who was born in Hesleden, County Durham, England. Nicknamed "The King of the Kippax" , and Nijinsky after the famous racehorse , Bell is widely regarded as Manchester City's greatest ever player...
to Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, a move that infuriated many Bury fans.
He left Bury in April 1966 to manage Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
. Although he had limited financial resources at his disposal he guided Palace into the top flight in 1969 for the first time in their history, and kept them up for the following two seasons. In March 1973 he was moved upstairs to a general manager's post until the end of the season, replaced by the flamboyant Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Alexander Allison was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and cigar, controversies off the pitch and outspoken nature.Allison's managerial potential become...
who took Palace back to Division Three over the course of the next two seasons. Head left Palace in May 1973 and also managed Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
for a spell in the same year.
He became a director of Bath City in 1975, resigning from the board in 1982. He also worked as a scout for Swindon Town.
Head died in February 2002 in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, aged 85. His wife Ginny had died eight years previously, but he left two sons, David, who played professionally for Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, and Roger and a daughter, Sue.