Charles William Spencer (4 December 1899 – 9 February 1953) was an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and manager.
Club career
After service with the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Spencer joined
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
from non-league football in October 1921.
He played for the club until 1928, making a total of 175 appearances and scored one goal.
In January 1928, Spencer signed for
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, and was given the captaincy upon his arrival. However, he was only there for 18 months, leaving the club for
Tunbridge Wells Rangers in 1929, to become a player-coach at the Kent-based side. He then moved to
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
, where he became the club's first ever manager.
International career
Spencer played twice for
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. His first game was against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
on 12 April 1924 and his second, and last, cap came against
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
on 28 February 1925.
Managerial career
Spencer became
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
's first ever manager in August 1932.
During his first four seasons at the club, he won the Cheshire County League Championship three times.
He left Wigan in March 1937 to become manager of
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
.
Grimsby were then playing in the
First Division and narrowly avoided relegation at the end of the
1937–38 season.
The following season, Spencer had assembled a fine squad, including former
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
centre forward
Fred Howe,
Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Devon Boyd (born James Devon Boyd; January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song " I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."
Early years
Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 in Mis ...
(who had won the FA Cup with
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
) and
Tommy Jones from
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. Grimsby performed far better in the league, finishing in tenth place in
the table, whilst in the
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 ...
, they reached the
semi-final
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, having defeated fellow First Division team
Chelsea in the previous round. The semi-final was played at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
on 25 March 1939 in front of a crowd of 76,962 spectators; this remains the record attendance at Old Trafford. In the semi-final, Grimsby were no match for Wolves and were "simply swept aside",
going down 5–0.
He was appointed as manager of
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
in November 1952.
However, he died less than three months into his reign at the club on 9 February 1953 at his home in
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
.
Managerial statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Charlie
1899 births
Footballers from Washington, Tyne and Wear
1953 deaths
English men's footballers
England men's international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Newcastle United F.C. players
Manchester United F.C. players
Tunbridge Wells F.C. players
English Football League players
English football managers
Wigan Athletic F.C. managers
Grimsby Town F.C. managers
York City F.C. managers
Hastings United F.C. (1948) managers
English Football League managers
English Football League representative players
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Engineers soldiers
20th-century English sportsmen