Gladwin Charlie Image 2 Sunderland 1912

Description

Worksop, Nottinghamshire born right back Charlie Gladwin started his football career with Dinnington Main Colliery Welfare in 1907 before joining Second Division club Blackpool in December 1908, making his Football League debut against Gainsborough Trinity the same month. However it was only in 1910 that he became a first team regular, but his performances were good enough for First Division club Sunderland to pay more than £1,000 for his services in October 1912 after 93 appearances for The Seasiders.

In his first season at Roker Park, Sunderland won the 1913 League Championship and Gladwin also played 9 FA Cup ties as they went all the way to the 1913 FA Cup Final, only to lose 1-0 to Aston Villa at The Crystal Palace in front of 122,000 spectators. His appearances over the next two seasons were increasingly irregular, and when the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football he had scored once in 63 appearances for The Wearsiders, his only career goal coming in their third round 4-2 FA Cup win over Southern League danger men Swindon Town at Roker Park in February 1912.

With the conflict ended, he joined Southern League Watford in the summer of 1919 for a single season, making 12 appearances between August 1919 and January 1920 before acting as the club’s trainer for the rest of the season, when it became clear that the dying Tom Coulson was unable to continue with his duties, before himself retiring from football in 1920.