Wilson Charlie Image 6 Stoke City 1926

Description

In 1919, having already played in some wartime 1918-19 games for Spurs under pseudonyms, Atherstone, Warwickshire born centre forward Charlie Wilson signed for Second Division club Tottenham Hotspur from Southern League Coventry City, whom he had joined in 1914 prior to the First World War, without making an appearance for their first team, having started his career with Atherstone Town in 1913. He made his Football League debut that September at South Shields, scoring a debut hat-trick in a 3-0 win. His 11 goals in 14 appearances helped Spurs to the Second Division Championship in 1920, and over a three year spell he played 62 matches for Spurs scoring 33 goals, although he missed out on being in the team that won the FA Cup in 1921.

Herbert Chapman’s Huddersfield Town signed him in November 1922, and he soon became a key member of The Terriers’ all conquering 1920’s sides as he scored 16 goals in 1922-23 including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Birmingham on Boxing Day, although they finished third in the First Division that season. He was a mainstay of their League Championship wins in 1924 and 1925, scoring 18 and 24 goals in each campaign including 4 goals against Burnley and hat-tricks against Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and against Arsenal on three occasions, before losing his place in the team at the start of the 1925-26 season that would prove to be their hat-trick League title season after picking up an injury.

For Huddersfield he scored an impressive 63 goals in 108 matches before joining Second Division Stoke City in March 1926, albeit he couldn’t save them from relegation at the season end. He did however score 26 goals in their 1926-27 campaign as they won the Third Division (North) Championship for an immediate return to the Second Division, where he continued to score prolifically for a further four seasons.

He scored 120 goals in 167 games for The Potters until his last game in February 1931 including 5 goals against Ashington, hat-tricks against Barrow, West Brom, Barnsley, Southampton, Notts County, and 7 goals in 2 games against Bristol City in 1929-30. He later played for joined Stafford Rangers in 1931, and had a spell at Wrexham without making their first team, before joining Shrewsbury Town in 1934, where he finished his career.