Charlie Dove
Encyclopedia
Charles Dove was born in 1879 in East Ham
, England
. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex
. His main position was defender
.
He played for many local teams and was a schoolboy player of some repute, winning two medals as a right back with Park School.
Upon leaving school he joined Forest Swift Juniors as a centre forward, before moving on to captain Plaistow Melville. Charlie Dove continued to make his name at Upton Park F.C.
and with South West Ham, being regarded as an exceptional talent.
Charlie was an employee of Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, working as an apprentice to the riveters and jumped at the chance to play for the newly formed Thames Ironworks
in 1895. The half a crown (12½p) membership would have been a third of his weekly wage.
A local paper featured this following article about Charlie Dove during the 1897-1898 season.
On 31 December 1898 Charlie Dove completed the distinction of playing in every position for the club when he deputised for goalkeeper Tommy Moore in an away game against Maidenhead. He even kept a clean sheet and the Thames Ironworks won 4-0.
Dove was an important part of the Thames team that won successive London League and Southern League Division Two
titles, and had a connection with the club adopting claret and blue as their colours. Charlie had got the kits for the club at a very cheap price of £3.10s. They had come from his father William Dove, who was a professional sprinter of national repute, as well as being one of the coaches at Thames Ironworks. During the summer of 1899, Bill Dove had been at a fair in Birmingham
, close to Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa
. The scrawny looking Dove had been challenged to a race against four Villa players, who wagered money that one of them would win. Bill Dove defeated them, and when they were unable to pay the bet one of the Villa players, who was responsible for washing the team's kit, offered a complete side's 'uniforms' to Dove in payment of the bet. The Aston Villa player subsequently reported to his club that the kit was 'missing'.
Charlie Dove would continue to be a major player for Thames Ironworks, and it's later incarnation of West Ham United
until his controversial transfer in 1901 to arch-rivals Millwall F.C.
. In 1902 Dove unfortunately suffered an injury which ended his playing career.
East Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
, England
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...
. He was regarded as a super-fit footballer, who in 1895 stood at nearly 6 feet and weighed 12 stone, considered large at the time for a sixteen year old from a working-class area of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. His main position was defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
He played for many local teams and was a schoolboy player of some repute, winning two medals as a right back with Park School.
Upon leaving school he joined Forest Swift Juniors as a centre forward, before moving on to captain Plaistow Melville. Charlie Dove continued to make his name at Upton Park F.C.
Upton Park F.C.
Upton Park Football Club were an amateur football club from Upton Park, London in the late 19th and early 20th century, now defunct. As well as being one of the fifteen teams that played in the inaugural FA Cup, they also represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics football tournament,...
and with South West Ham, being regarded as an exceptional talent.
Charlie was an employee of Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, working as an apprentice to the riveters and jumped at the chance to play for the newly formed Thames Ironworks
Thames Ironworks F.C.
Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their...
in 1895. The half a crown (12½p) membership would have been a third of his weekly wage.
A local paper featured this following article about Charlie Dove during the 1897-1898 season.
- "FOOTBALL SKETCHES - 1. Charlie Dove (Thames Ironworks) If not absolutely the finest right half back in Essex, the subject of our sketch is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant men in the country in that position. Even when joining them his true position was not apparent. He played centre forward and full back and it was not until he had occupied nearly every place - with the exception of goal - that his worth as a right half was demonstrated. In this berth he plays a brilliant game, full of resource and the Thames Limited combination sadly missed him in their opening matches. However, he is expected to be fit and able to turn out on Saturday against Brentford, when he will considerably strengthen the team." - East Ham Echo, prior to the away game against Brentford on 23 April 1898.
On 31 December 1898 Charlie Dove completed the distinction of playing in every position for the club when he deputised for goalkeeper Tommy Moore in an away game against Maidenhead. He even kept a clean sheet and the Thames Ironworks won 4-0.
Dove was an important part of the Thames team that won successive London League and Southern League Division Two
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
titles, and had a connection with the club adopting claret and blue as their colours. Charlie had got the kits for the club at a very cheap price of £3.10s. They had come from his father William Dove, who was a professional sprinter of national repute, as well as being one of the coaches at Thames Ironworks. During the summer of 1899, Bill Dove had been at a fair in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, close to Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. The scrawny looking Dove had been challenged to a race against four Villa players, who wagered money that one of them would win. Bill Dove defeated them, and when they were unable to pay the bet one of the Villa players, who was responsible for washing the team's kit, offered a complete side's 'uniforms' to Dove in payment of the bet. The Aston Villa player subsequently reported to his club that the kit was 'missing'.
Charlie Dove would continue to be a major player for Thames Ironworks, and it's later incarnation of 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...
until his controversial transfer in 1901 to arch-rivals Millwall F.C.
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. In 1902 Dove unfortunately suffered an injury which ended his playing career.
See also
- Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1895-96
- Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1896-97
- Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1897-98
- Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1898-99
- Thames Ironworks F.C. season 1899-1900