Bert Turner (footballer born 1909)
Encyclopedia
Herbert Gwyn "Bert" Turner (19 June 1909 – 8 June 1981) was a Welsh international footballer who played as a full back for Charlton Athletic
. He was best known for scoring for both sides in the 1946 FA Cup Final
, becoming the first player to do so.
and, after school, he joined the Welch Regiment
where he had a reputation as an all-round sportsman winning medals for rugby, athletics and hockey with Army teams, as well as playing football. On leaving the army, he returned to his place of birth where he made four appearances for the village team before a trial with Charlton Athletic
.
Turner signed in August 1933 and made his first team debut in the Football League Third Division South
, with twenty appearances at centre half in the 1933–34 season as Charlton finished fifth in the table. In the next season, he started off at centre half, playing alongside Bill Dodgin
and Frank Harris before the arrival of Don Welsh
in February led to him being moved to right back. The team that manager Jimmy Seed
had assembled went on to claim the Division title at the end of the season, and finished as runners-up in the Second Division
in 1936, thus achieving back-to-back promotions.
In their first season in Division One
, Charlton finished in the runners-up spot, missing the League title by only three points to champions Manchester City
, with the meanest defence in the division conceding only 49 goals. Turner continued to play regularly for Charlton up to the outbreak of the Second World War, as Charlton consolidated their place in the top flight with fourth place and third place finishes in the next two seasons.
By now, Turner's club form had brought him to the notice of the Welsh
selectors and he made his international debut at Ninian Park
on 17 October 1936 in a 2–1 victory over England
. Wales followed this with victories over Scotland
(2–1) and Ireland (4–1) to comfortably claim the 1937 British Home Championship
. Turner made a total of eight appearances for Wales prior to the war, with five victories and three defeats. He continued to turn out regularly for Wales during the early part of the war, making a further eight appearances in wartime internationals.
After the cessation of hostilities, there was no League football in 1945–46. The FA Cup
was the main competition to be played this season; to make up for the lack of quality matches, all FA Cup rounds from round one up to and including the quarter-finals were made two-legged ties (rather than the traditional single matches) with the aggregate score determining who went through to the next round. After easy victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers
, Preston North End
and Brentford
, Charlton met Bolton Wanderers
in the semi-final
. Bolton were still suffering from the after-effects of the Burnden Park disaster
in which 33 spectators were killed as a result of overcrowding. Charlton won the semi-final comfortably to set up a Cup Final against Derby County
.
The final
was played at Wembley Stadium on 27 April 1946. The game was goalless until the 85th minute, when Jackie Stamps
and a Charlton defender jumped up to head a centre from the right. As the ball was nodded out it went straight to Dally Duncan
, who shot goalwards. Turner tried to kick the ball clear, but only managed to turn the ball into his own net. In the next minute Turner scored for his own side when he took a free-kick from the edge of the Rams’ penalty area, and although goalkeeper Vic Woodley
appeared to have the shot well covered, the ball struck a Derby player and was deflected past Woodley into the opposite corner of the net to which he was diving.
Turner thus became the first player to score for both sides in an FA Cup Final, a feat subsequently repeated by Tommy Hutchison
in 1981
and Gary Mabbutt
in 1987
. At the age of 36 years 312 days, Turner also became the oldest player to score in an FA Cup Final. The match finished level after 90 minutes, but in extra time Derby County scored three goals to win the match 4–1.
Turner played one more season with Charlton, but was no longer a regular choice, and was used as cover for Peter Croker
at right back or Herbert Johnson at right-half. Turner retired in 1947 after a 14 year Charlton career in which he played 196 matches. Apart from the cup-final goal, his only other goals were two penalties.
He then left for Sweden where he coached Malmö FF
and Kalmar FF
.
in Manston, Kent
until 1980.
was a forward with Merthyr Town
and Southampton
in the 1920s.
Wales
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. He was best known for scoring for both sides in the 1946 FA Cup Final
1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
, becoming the first player to do so.
Football career
Turner was born in Brithdir, CaerphillyBrithdir, Caerphilly
Brithdir is a small village in the northern part of the Rhymney Valley near New Tredegar, in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, and within the historic boundaries of Glamorgan....
and, after school, he joined the Welch Regiment
Welch Regiment
The Welch Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1969.-History:It was formed as the Welsh Regiment during the Childers Reforms of 1881, by the amalgamation of the 41st Regiment of Foot and the 69th Regiment of Foot...
where he had a reputation as an all-round sportsman winning medals for rugby, athletics and hockey with Army teams, as well as playing football. On leaving the army, he returned to his place of birth where he made four appearances for the village team before a trial with Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
.
Turner signed in August 1933 and made his first team debut in the Football League Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
, with twenty appearances at centre half in the 1933–34 season as Charlton finished fifth in the table. In the next season, he started off at centre half, playing alongside Bill Dodgin
Bill Dodgin, Sr.
William "Bill" Dodgin was an English football player.Born in Gateshead, Dodgin played for Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Charlton Athletic, Bristol Rovers, Clapton Orient and Southampton, although his career was curtailed by the Second World War.After retiring as a player, he became coach and...
and Frank Harris before the arrival of Don Welsh
Don Welsh
Donald "Don" Welsh was an English football player and manager. As a player he played at inside left for Charlton Athletic and for England, winning the FA Cup with Charlton in 1946–47.-Playing career:...
in February led to him being moved to right back. The team that manager Jimmy Seed
Jimmy Seed
James Marshall "Jimmy" Seed was an English footballer and football manager.Despite being born in Blackhill, Seed was brought up in the village of Whitburn on the coast just to the north of Sunderland...
had assembled went on to claim the Division title at the end of the season, and finished as runners-up in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1936, thus achieving back-to-back promotions.
In their first season in Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, Charlton finished in the runners-up spot, missing the League title by only three points to champions 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...
, with the meanest defence in the division conceding only 49 goals. Turner continued to play regularly for Charlton up to the outbreak of the Second World War, as Charlton consolidated their place in the top flight with fourth place and third place finishes in the next two seasons.
By now, Turner's club form had brought him to the notice of the Welsh
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
selectors and he made his international debut at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
on 17 October 1936 in a 2–1 victory over England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Wales followed this with victories over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
(2–1) and Ireland (4–1) to comfortably claim the 1937 British Home Championship
1937 British Home Championship
The 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...
. Turner made a total of eight appearances for Wales prior to the war, with five victories and three defeats. He continued to turn out regularly for Wales during the early part of the war, making a further eight appearances in wartime internationals.
After the cessation of hostilities, there was no League football in 1945–46. The FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
was the main competition to be played this season; to make up for the lack of quality matches, all FA Cup rounds from round one up to and including the quarter-finals were made two-legged ties (rather than the traditional single matches) with the aggregate score determining who went through to the next round. After easy victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, Charlton met Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in the semi-final
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
. Bolton were still suffering from the after-effects of the Burnden Park disaster
Burnden Park disaster
The Burnden Park Disaster was a human crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans...
in which 33 spectators were killed as a result of overcrowding. Charlton won the semi-final comfortably to set up a Cup Final against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
The final
1946 FA Cup Final
The 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the...
was played at Wembley Stadium on 27 April 1946. The game was goalless until the 85th minute, when Jackie Stamps
Jackie Stamps
Jack "Jackie" Stamps was an English footballer who scored two goals in the 1946 FA Cup Final for Derby County in a 4-1 win against Charlton Athletic. This is Derby's only FA Cup triumph. Stamps came close to scoring in regular time but the ball burst as he shot, making it easier to save...
and a Charlton defender jumped up to head a centre from the right. As the ball was nodded out it went straight to Dally Duncan
Dally Duncan
Douglas "Dally" Duncan was an Aberdeen-born football player and manager.A left-winger, Duncan joined Hull City from Aberdeen Richmond in 1928 and spent his entire professional career in England. He joined Derby County for £2,000 in 1932 and remained contracted to the club until 1946...
, who shot goalwards. Turner tried to kick the ball clear, but only managed to turn the ball into his own net. In the next minute Turner scored for his own side when he took a free-kick from the edge of the Rams’ penalty area, and although goalkeeper Vic Woodley
Vic Woodley
Victor Robert Woodley was an English football goalkeeper who played for both Chelsea and the England national side between the wars....
appeared to have the shot well covered, the ball struck a Derby player and was deflected past Woodley into the opposite corner of the net to which he was diving.
Turner thus became the first player to score for both sides in an FA Cup Final, a feat subsequently repeated by Tommy Hutchison
Tommy Hutchison
Thomas "Tommy" Hutchison is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Beginning his professional career with Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Second Division, being spotted by Archie McPherson...
in 1981
1981 FA Cup Final
The 1981 FA Cup Final was contested by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Wembley. The match finished 1–1 after extra time; Tommy Hutchison opened the scoring for City, and then scored an own-goal eleven minutes from time to bring Spurs level. In the replay, Spurs won 3–2, with...
and Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt MBE is an English former professional footballer who made more than 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and won 16 caps for the England national team. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a...
in 1987
1987 FA Cup Final
The 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing...
. At the age of 36 years 312 days, Turner also became the oldest player to score in an FA Cup Final. The match finished level after 90 minutes, but in extra time Derby County scored three goals to win the match 4–1.
Turner played one more season with Charlton, but was no longer a regular choice, and was used as cover for Peter Croker
Peter Croker
Peter Croker is an English former footballer born in Kingston, Surrey, who played as a fullback in the Football League for Charlton Athletic and Watford and in non-league football for Bromley and Gravesend & Northfleet. He is the only survivor from Charlton's 1947 FA Cup Final-winning team.He...
at right back or Herbert Johnson at right-half. Turner retired in 1947 after a 14 year Charlton career in which he played 196 matches. Apart from the cup-final goal, his only other goals were two penalties.
He then left for Sweden where he coached Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
and Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
.
Later career
In 1956, he returned to England where he became a licenseeLicensee
A licensee is someone who has been granted a licence.- Tort law :The term is used in the USA law of torts to describe a person who is on the property of another, despite the fact that the property is not open to the general public, because the owner of the property has allowed the licensee to enter...
in Manston, Kent
Manston, Kent
Manston is a village and civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The village is situated one mile north-west of Ramsgate. The parish includes four hamlets and Kent International Airport.-Etymology:...
until 1980.
Family
His elder brother, ErnestErnest Turner (footballer)
Ernest Turner was a Welsh footballer who played as a forward for Merthyr Town and Southampton in the 1920s.-Football career:...
was a forward with Merthyr Town
Merthyr Town F.C.
Merthyr Town Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. For the 2011–2012 season the club will be playing in the Western Football League Premier Division at Penydarren Park in Merthyr....
and 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...
in the 1920s.
As a player
Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
runners-up: 19461946 FA Cup FinalThe 1946 FA Cup Final, the first since the start of the Second World War, was contested by Derby County and Charlton Athletic at Wembley. Derby won 4–1 after extra time, with goals from Bert Turner , Peter Doherty and a double from Jackie Stamps.-Match summary:The game was goalless until the... - Football League Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division SouthThe Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
champions: 1934–35 - Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
runners-up: 1935–36 - Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runners-up: 1936–37
Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
- British Home ChampionshipBritish Home ChampionshipThe British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
winners: 19371937 British Home ChampionshipThe 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...
As a manager
Malmö FFMalmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
- AllsvenskanAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
(2): 1951, 1953 - Svenska CupenSvenska CupenSvenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
(2): 1951, 1953