Charles John Drinkwater (25 July 1914 – 8 April 1998) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

and

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

as an

outside left In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

. He later served

Ruislip Manor Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London. It is located approximately west north west of Charing Cross. The construction of a halt on the Metropolitan Railway in the area in 1912 led to the develop ...

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

Club career

Non-League football (1932–1935)

Drinkwater began his career at

Athenian League The Athenian League was an England, English amateur association football, football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football ...

club

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

in 1932 and failed to make an appearance before moving to

Northfleet United Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent. Around 1890 organised team football was being played in the town and in 1892 the Northfleet F.C. club was founded. It flourished for a few years in the mid-1890s unt ...

in March 1933. He returned to Hampstead shortly afterwards and made his debut for the club in the penultimate game of the 1932–33 season, a 4–1 victory over Uxbridge Town. Drinkwater remained with Hampstead (then renamed

Golders Green Golders Green is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet in north London, northwest of Charing Cross. It began as a medieval small suburban linear settlement near a farm and public grazing area green, and dates to the early 19th century. It ...

) for the 1933–34 season and scored his first goal for the club in the opening game of the season, a 2–1 defeat to Walthamstow Avenue. He scored 10 goals in 36 appearances during the campaign and helped the Greens to a third-place finish in the league. Drinkwater's form earned him a move to

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

as an amateur in June 1934, but he failed to make an appearance for the first team and returned to Golders Green for the start of the 1934–35 season. Drinkwater moved to fellow Athenian League club Walthamstow Avenue before the end of the season.

Football League (1935–1947)

Drinkwater received another chance at League football when he signed for

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

club

as an amateur in August 1935. He signed a professional contract October that year. Drinkwater's professional debut came in a league match versus Chelsea on 16 November 1935. He instantly made a name for himself when he scored within three minutes of the kick-off. ''

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...

'' reported that Drinkwater "trapped a centre with the coolness of a veteran, steadied himself and drove the ball into the net". After one further appearance, he joined First Division club

in July 1938, but made just three appearances before being released during the 1939 off-season. The breakout of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

halted competitive football until 1946, but Drinkwater signed for

during the war. His war service took him away from the club, but he re-signed in October 1944 and was an ever-present during the 1945–46 season, when an enlarged

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

programme was played. When competitive league play returned, Drinkwater made just one appearance during Watford's 1946–47

Third Division South The Third Division South of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

season and he left

Vicarage Road Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of EFL Championship, Championship club Watford F.C., Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200. History It has been the home of Watford since 1922, w ...

at the end of the campaign.

Return to non-League football (1951–1953)

After a spell training and coaching

Pinner Pinner is a suburb in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 38,698 in 2021. Originally a mediaeval ...

, Drinkwater resumed his playing career in April 1951, when he joined London League club

. He achieved a runners-up finish in the 1952–53 season and left the club in October 1953.

Representative career

Burns made appearances for touring team

Middlesex Wanderers Middlesex Wanderers A.F.C. is an English touring amateur football team. History When the Richmond Old Boys team (from the British School in Richmond, Surrey, failed financially after undertaking a tour of France, two members, brothers Bob ...

in 1935.

International career

Drinkwater won one cap for England Juniors in 1935.

Personal life

During the

, Drinkwater served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

as a

Physical Training Instructor Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness. United Kingdom In the British Army, specialist Physi ...

. After the war, he worked at

Mount Vernon Hospital Mount Vernon Hospital is a hospital located in Northwood, London, Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the other being Hillingdon Hospital. History ...

as a remedial gymnast for 30 years.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drinkwater, Charles James 1914 births Footballers from the London Borough of Brent People from Willesden English men's footballers Brentford F.C. players Middlesex Wanderers A.F.C. players English Football League players Hendon F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Walthamstow Avenue F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Watford F.C. players London Rangers F.C. players Tokyngton Manor F.C. managers England men's youth international footballers 1998 deaths Royal Navy personnel of World War II Men's association football outside forwards Northfleet United F.C. players English football managers Royal Navy sailors 20th-century English sportsmen