White Charlie Image 1 Watford 1920

Description

Chesham born inside forward Charlie White played junior football for Chesham Generals and Chesham Town in 1907, representing Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, before joining Southern League Watford in August 1909. He made his debut in the following season scoring 5 goals in 1909-10 and helped Watford win The Southern League in 1914-15, the last season of peacetime football due to the onset of the First World War, although an appendix operation in Guy’s Hospital in February 1915 kept White out of the run-in to the club’s Southern League Championship triumph.

During the War he guested for Fulham, but returned to Vicarage Road in 1919 and scored 15 goals, his career best return, as Watford finished runners up to Portsmouth in their Southern League title defence. When they became a Football League club White was part of Watford’s inaugural League fixture, scoring the winner at Queen’s Park Rangers in August 1920. He continued as a Watford player until his untimely death in July 1925 aged 36 after an operation. In total he scored 86 goals in 372 Football League, Southern League and FA Cup appearances for The Hornets. Indeed he was essentially a creative inside-forward and goalscoring was not his primary function in the team, but until the 1960’s only Tommy Barnett scored more goals for the club in competitive matches.