Les Boulter (footballer)

Leslie Mervyn Boulter (31 August 1913 – 30 November 1974) was a Welsh professional football inside left, best remembered for his time in the Football League with Charlton Athletic, with whom he ascended from the Third Division South to the First Division in successive seasons in the mid-1930s. He scored on his only appearance for Wales at international level.

Les Boulter
Personal information
Full name Leslie Mervyn Boulter[1]
Date of birth (1913-08-31)31 August 1913
Place of birth Ebbw Vale, Wales
Date of death 30 November 1974(1974-11-30) (aged 61)[2]
Position(s) Inside left
Youth career
Cwm Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1932–1939 Charlton Athletic 167 (27)
1939–1947 Brentford 16 (1)
1940 → Manchester City (guest) 1 (0)
→ Blackpool (guest)
1947–1948 Yeovil Town (4)
National team
1939 Wales 1 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Charlton Athletic

An inside left, Boulter began his career at Second Division club Charlton Athletic.[1] After suffering relegation to the Third Division South in 1933, Boulter was part of the team which completed a meteoric rise to First Division, in two seasons,[3] securing the Third Division South title in 1934–35 and a runners-up finish in the Second Division in 1935–36.[4] The Addicks challenged for the league championship in their first three seasons in the top-flight.[5] Boulter departed The Valley in February 1939, after making 176 appearances and scoring 29 goals during his time with the club.[1]

Brentford

Boulter moved to London First Division rivals Brentford in February 1939, for a £5,000 fee.[1] Signing on the same day as forward Tommy Cheetham, the pair made their debuts in a 4–2 defeat to Aston Villa on 7 February.[6] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Bolton Wanderers just over a month later.[6] Boulter and Cheetham's signings boosted the struggling Bees into mid-table, but a late slump saw the club narrowly avoid relegation.[7] Boulter made just one appearance in the 1939–40 season (before competitive football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War), which came in a 5–1 Football League Jubilee Fund defeat to Chelsea on 19 August 1939.[6]

Boulter was held on a retainer throughout the war by Brentford and was transfer-listed at the end of the 1946–47 season,[1] due to concerns over his weight and lack of speed upon his return from Army service.[8] He re-signed in May 1946 and departed the club in 1947, without having made any further competitive appearances.[1] Boulter made 17 competitive appearances and scored one goal during his time at Griffin Park.[1]

Wartime guest appearances

Boulter appeared as a guest for Manchester City and Blackpool during the Second World War.[9][10]

Yeovil Town

Boulter dropped into non-league football to sign for Southern League club Yeovil Town in 1947.[11] He scored five goals during the 1947–48 season and helped the Glovers to an eighth-place finish.[12]

International career

Boulter won one cap for Wales, scoring in a 3–1 British Home Championship victory over Ireland on 15 March 1939.[13]

Honours

Charlton Athletic

Career statistics
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1938–39[6] First Division 16 1 — 16 1
Career total 16 1 0 0 16 1

References
  1. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 24. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  2. "Les Boulter". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. "Boulter Les Image 2 Brentford 1939". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  4. Charlton Athletic F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  5. "Charlton Athletic Complete History - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  6. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 375. ISBN 0951526200.
  7. "Brentford Home Page for the 1938-1939 season - Statto.com". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. ""BEES" RE-SIGN BOULTER". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 24 May 1946.
  9. ASKmultimedia. "MCFC STATS – THE Unofficial Man City Stats, News and Trivia Website". Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  10. "FOOTBALLERS – WAR TIME GUESTS". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  11. "Yeovil Town Goalscorers Between 01/01/1940 and 31/12/1949". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  12. "Yeovil Town : First Team Results : 1947–48 Season". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  13. "Wales v Ireland, 15 March 1939". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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