Reg Attwell
Encyclopedia
Frederick Reginald "Reg" Attwell (23 March 1920 – 1 December 1986) was an English
professional association football player who played as a right wing-half. He played in the Football League
for West Ham United
, Burnley
and Bradford City
, and also had spells in non-league football
.
, Shropshire
, the son of a footballer. During the Second World War, he served in the British Army with the Essex Regiment
. Following the conclusion of his football career, he lived in Burnley
, Lancashire
, where he resided until his death at the age of 66.
with Denaby United
, before signing for West Ham United
in the 1937–38 season. He made his league debut for the club in a 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United
on 23 April 1938, but did not play again before the outbreak of the Second World War. In wartime, Attwell appeared as a guest player for Leeds United
, making his debut on 21 February 1942 in the 0–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers
. He played one more game for Leeds in 1943 before joining Burnley
as a wartime guest in 1945. He scored one goal in 15 matches for Burnley in the 1945–46 campaign before returning to West Ham. Upon his return, Attwell played four more league games for the Hammers, before joining Burnley on a permanent transfer in October 1946.
Attwell played his first competitive match for Burnley on 9 November 1946 in the 1–1 draw with Luton Town
. He went on to play 22 league games during his debut season, as well as six matches in the FA Cup
as the side reached the final of the competition
. He was in the starting line-up for the final as Burnley lost 0–1 to Charlton Athletic
. Attwell remained manager Cliff Britton
's first-choice right-half throughout the following season, missing only four games of the campaign. He scored his first goal for Burnley on 24 April 1948, netting the second goal in the 2–0 away victory over Chelsea
. During the 1948–49 season, Attwell made 38 first-team appearances for Burnley and scored five goals altogther, four of them penalty kicks. His performances earned him a call-up to the Football League representative side for a match against the Scottish League in 1949. Following this, Attwell was widely expected to be selected for the England national football team
, but he was never chosen to play for his country.
On 3 September 1949, Attwell played his 100th league game for Burnley in the 1–0 win away at Birmingham City
. He retained his place in the Burnley side throughout the 1949–50 campaign, making 43 first team appearances. At the beginning of the next season, he found his place in the team taken by Len Martindale
for the first two matches. However, Martindale then found himself replaced by Reg Kirkham
for the next seven games before Harold Rudman
played the following two matches. Attwell regained his place in the line-up on 14 October 1950 for the 5–1 home win against Charlton Athletic
. He was restricted to 17 league games for the side during the 1950–51 season as Jimmy Adamson
took the right wing-half slot from February 1951 until the end of the campaign.
Attwell regained his first-team place in the summer of 1951 and went on to make 71 league appearances in the next two seasons. In the 1953–54 campaign, he was forced to share his first-team berth with Bobby Seith
and only played 20 matches in the side. After eight years with the club, Attwell made his final appearance for Burnley on 4 September 1954 in the 0–2 loss to Everton
at Turf Moor. With a total of 11 goals in 269 first-team matches for the Clarets, Attwell left Burnley in October 1954 to join Bradford City
on a free transfer.
Attwell played 24 league games for Bradford during the remainder of the 1954–55 season, but left the club in the summer of 1955. He subsequently returned to non-league football, having a short spell with Darwen
before retiring from the game.
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 association football player who played as a right wing-half. He played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
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...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, and also had spells in non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
.
Personal life
Attwell was born in ShifnalShifnal
Shifnal is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It forms part of The Wrekin constituency, and is about east of Telford. It has a railway station on the Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Line and is near to the M54 motorway.-Early medieval time:...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, the son of a footballer. During the Second World War, he served in the British Army with the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
. Following the conclusion of his football career, he lived in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, where he resided until his death at the age of 66.
Career
Attwell started his career in non-league footballNon-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Denaby United
Denaby United F.C.
Denaby United F.C. are an English football club that originally folded in 2002 following eviction from their ground by the Denaby & Cadeby Miners' Welfare, but have since re-appeared in the Doncaster and District Senior League Division One for the 2011-12 season...
, before signing 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...
in the 1937–38 season. He made his league debut for the club in a 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on 23 April 1938, but did not play again before the outbreak of the Second World War. In wartime, Attwell appeared as a guest player for Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, making his debut on 21 February 1942 in the 0–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. He played one more game for Leeds in 1943 before joining Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
as a wartime guest in 1945. He scored one goal in 15 matches for Burnley in the 1945–46 campaign before returning to West Ham. Upon his return, Attwell played four more league games for the Hammers, before joining Burnley on a permanent transfer in October 1946.
Attwell played his first competitive match for Burnley on 9 November 1946 in the 1–1 draw with Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. He went on to play 22 league games during his debut season, as well as six matches in 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...
as the side reached the final of the competition
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...
. He was in the starting line-up for the final as Burnley lost 0–1 to 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,...
. Attwell remained manager Cliff Britton
Cliff Britton
Clifford Samuel Britton was a footballer and football manager. He was born 29 August 1909 in Hanham in Bristol and died 1 December 1975.-Playing career:...
's first-choice right-half throughout the following season, missing only four games of the campaign. He scored his first goal for Burnley on 24 April 1948, netting the second goal in the 2–0 away victory over Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. During the 1948–49 season, Attwell made 38 first-team appearances for Burnley and scored five goals altogther, four of them penalty kicks. His performances earned him a call-up to the Football League representative side for a match against the Scottish League in 1949. Following this, Attwell was widely expected to be selected for the England national football team
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...
, but he was never chosen to play for his country.
On 3 September 1949, Attwell played his 100th league game for Burnley in the 1–0 win away at Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. He retained his place in the Burnley side throughout the 1949–50 campaign, making 43 first team appearances. At the beginning of the next season, he found his place in the team taken by Len Martindale
Len Martindale
Leonard "Len" Martindale was an English-born association footballer who played as a wing half in the Football League either side of World War II....
for the first two matches. However, Martindale then found himself replaced by Reg Kirkham
Reg Kirkham
Reginald Kirkham was an English footballer who played as full back for Burnley Football Club between 1947 and 1951. He played 15 games for Burnley and played in the Central League championship side of 1949. He scored one goal for Burnley at Turf Moor against Portsmouth in 1950.Reg Kirkam joined...
for the next seven games before Harold Rudman
Harold Rudman
Harold Rudman was an English professional footballer who played as a full back.-References:...
played the following two matches. Attwell regained his place in the line-up on 14 October 1950 for the 5–1 home win against 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,...
. He was restricted to 17 league games for the side during the 1950–51 season as Jimmy Adamson
Jimmy Adamson
James "Jimmy" Adamson was an English professional footballer and football manager. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland...
took the right wing-half slot from February 1951 until the end of the campaign.
Attwell regained his first-team place in the summer of 1951 and went on to make 71 league appearances in the next two seasons. In the 1953–54 campaign, he was forced to share his first-team berth with Bobby Seith
Bobby Seith
Robert "Bobby" Seith is a former Scottish football player and manager. He won the League championship in both England and Scotland with Burnley and Dundee respectively....
and only played 20 matches in the side. After eight years with the club, Attwell made his final appearance for Burnley on 4 September 1954 in the 0–2 loss to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
at Turf Moor. With a total of 11 goals in 269 first-team matches for the Clarets, Attwell left Burnley in October 1954 to join Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
on a free transfer.
Attwell played 24 league games for Bradford during the remainder of the 1954–55 season, but left the club in the summer of 1955. He subsequently returned to non-league football, having a short spell with Darwen
Darwen F.C.
A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:...
before retiring from the game.