Albert Henry "Digger" Kettle (3 June 1922 – 1 March 1999) was an English footballer who played for Colchester United.

Career

Born in Colchester, Kettle served in the Royal Air Force in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

and Italy during World War II. After playing for Stanway Rovers, Chapel and Wakes Colne and Arclight Sports as a teenager, he signed for Colchester United in 1946. Remaining part-time, he played as a full-back for Colchester in the Southern League and

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

whilst continuing to work for Woods, a fan manufacturer in Colchester. After 23 appearances in the Football League, Kettle signed for Sudbury Town in 1955. After two seasons with Sudbury he signed for Woods Athletic, where he ended his playing career. He died in 1999.

Honours

Club

; Colchester United *

Southern Football League The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...

runner-up: 1949–50 *

Cup winner: 1949–50 *

Cup runner-up: 1947–48, 1948–49

References

External links

Digger Kettle
at Colchester United Archive Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Kettle, Digger 1922 births Footballers from Colchester Royal Air Force personnel of World War II English men's footballers Stanway Rovers F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Sudbury Town F.C. players 1999 deaths Men's association football defenders British expatriates in Southern Rhodesia British expatriates in Italy Royal Air Force airmen Military personnel from Colchester