Eddie Bovington is an English

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...

 former footballer

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...

 who played for West Ham United

West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...

 as a wing-half.

Bovington played Junior football with West Ham, and was a member of the FA Youth Cup

FA Youth Cup

The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

 Final team of 1958-59 alongside Bobby Moore

Bobby Moore

Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...

, Harry Cripps

Harry Cripps

Harry Cripps, was an English professional footballer who played for South East London side Millwall for the majority of his career, becoming a cult figure in the process....

 and Jack Burkett

Jack Burkett

Jack Burkett is an English former footballer who played as a full-back.Burkett started his career at West Ham United, joining the senior team in July 1958. He played in the FA Youth Cup Final of 1958-59 alongside Bobby Moore, Harry Cripps and Eddie Bovington, and made his League debut against...

.

He made his senior debut in a Football League match against Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 on 18 April 1960, although it was to be another 18 months before his second game. His cup debut was in the Football League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 against Rotherham United on 16 October 1962. Bovington made a total of 138 League appearances for West Ham, scoring a single league goal (against Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest F.C.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

 on 26 October 1966 at Upton Park

Boleyn Ground

The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...

). He made another 46 senior appearances for the Hammers in other competitions, including the 1964 FA Cup Final

1964 FA Cup Final

The 1964 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Preston North End at Wembley. West Ham won 3–2, with goals from John Sissons, Geoff Hurst and Ron Boyce...

 and eight European Cup Winners Cup

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

 matches. His only cup goal was against Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

, in a 5-2 home win on 20 December 1965 in the League Cup semi-final.

Bovington retired from the game at the age of 28 and joined the rag trade. He became a keen marathon runner and member of Woodford Green Athletics Club

Woodford Green with Essex Ladies

Woodford Green with Essex Ladies is one of the leading British athletics clubs and is based in Woodford, London. The club topped Division 1 of the British Athletics League for the first time in 2005.-Notable current athletes:* Tiffany Porter* Joice Maduaka...

. He managed 2 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds at the 1990 London Marathon

London Marathon

The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

.