Martin Tudor “Ted” Image 1 Swansea Town 1935

Description

Caerau, Bridgend, Glamorgan born centre forward Tudor “Ted” Martin began his football career with Caerau and Bridgend Town from where he was signed by First Division club West Bromwich Albion in October 1926, although he didn’t make a first team appearance for The Baggies. At the end of the 1928-29 season, Martin was forced to undergo surgery after suffering a cartilage injury and was released by West Brom as the club believed he would never fully recover. In July 1929, Martin was offered a contract by Third Division (South) club Newport County manager Jimmy Hindmarsh and spent two months playing for the club’s reserve side before being handed his Football League debut at Coventry City that September, and in his third match he scored a hat-trick against Queen’s Park Rangers, following that up with further trebles against Gillingham, Coventry City and Exeter City with a 5 goal haul in a 10-0 victory over Merthyr Town. He finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 36 goals in 31 matches (the next highest scorer having 8 goals!). He also won his only international cap for Wales in February 1930 against Ireland at Celtic Park, Belfast in the famous Joe Bambrick match. and at the end of the season he signed for Second Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 1930 in exchange for £1,500 and Cyril Pearce.

He struggled for first team action over two seasons at Moulineux, scoring 9 goals in 15 matches for Wolves, and was allowed to join Second Division club Swansea Town in July 1932. In four seasons at Vetch Field he scored hat-tricks against Fulham and West Ham United and 4 goals against Bury in October 1935 before he was signed by West Ham United in July 1936 after 49 goals in 122 matches for The Swans. His spell at Upton Park was brief despite a debut hat-trick at Newcastle United that September. He was sent off in a match for West Ham for retaliating, becoming the first player to be dismissed for the club in 25 years and after 7 goals in 11 matches he joined Third Division (South) club Southend United in February 1937, scoring twice on his debut against Cardiff City. He continued to play for The Shrimpers through to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, an event that effectively ended his career, notching a hat-trick against Bristol City in November 1937 amongst 31 goals in 66 matches for Southend,