Medley Les Image 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1939

Description

Edmonton, London born outside left Les Medley was an England schoolboy international in 1935 and began his football career with Tottenham Hotspur, signing amateur forms in September 1936, spending time at nursery club Northfleet United before signing professional in February 1939. However he had not made a first team appearance for Spurs before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, during which he appeared as a guest player for West Ham United, Millwall, Clapton Orient and Aldershot.

Medley finally made his senior debut for Spurs against Brentford in an FA Cup tie in January 1946, his Football League debut followed in August against Birmingham City with Medley scoring 4 goals in 10 matches that autumn before spending the rest of 1946 and the whole of 1947 in Canada, where he played for Toronto Greenbacks and Toronto Ulster United.

Medley returned to Tottenham in February 1948 but did not get a regular place in Spurs’ line up until April 1949 although he played in Spurs’ March 1948 FA Cup semi final defeat to Blackpool at Villa Park, He became a key man in the Tottenham Hotspur’s famous ‘push and run’ side that won the First Division Championship in 1950-51 having won the Second Division Championship the season before, when Medley was the club’s top scorer and an ever present. During the season they won the League Championship, Medley scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United in November 1950.

He was selected for The Rest of the United Kingdom against Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff in November 1951 and won six caps for England, first being selected against Wales at Roker Park in November 1950, his final cap a year later against Austria at Wembley, scoring against France at Highbury in October 1951. He also represented The Football League. By the time he returned to Canada in May 1953 he had scored 46 goals in 165 matches for Tottenham, and he went on to play for Toronto Ulster United again, where he played with his former Tottenham teammate Len Garwood, staying until 1958, when he moved to South Africa, playing for Wanderers of Johannesburg, and then Randfontein in 1959 before his retirement.