Battiste Wally Image 1 Gillingham 1920

Description

Worksop, Nottinghamshire born outside right Wally Battiste began his football career with Worksop Town in 1913 and played for Shirebrook in 1914 before the interruption of the First World War. Having had an unsuccessful trial with Notts County before the War, he joined Second Division Grimsby Town on the resumption of peacetime football in April 1919 having guested for them during wartime football, making his Football League debut against Stockport County that August. He made 32 appearances for The Mariners during 1919-20 but couldn’t help save them from relegation and joined new League entrant Gillingham in June 1920.

During his four seasons at Priestfield he missed few matches, scoring 8 goals in 162 appearances, and impressed enough that Millwall paid £350 for his services in May 1924. After a season of regular football at The Den, where he made 32 appearances, scoring 4 goals, he found himself as understudy to George Chance, and although he stayed several seasons at the club, he made only 11 more appearances, scoring once, playing only once in their Third Division (South) Championship team of 1927-28. He briefly returned to Gillingham in the summer of 1930 making 3 more first team appearances for The Gills in early season, before joining non league Sittingbourne in 1931, subsequently finishing his career with Aylesford Paper Mills whom he joined in 1932.