Ted Ditchburn facts for kids
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Ditchburn in 1963
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edwin George Ditchburn | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 1921 | ||
| Place of birth | Gillingham, England | ||
| Date of death | 26 December 2005 (aged 84) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Northfleet United | |||
| 1939–1958 | Tottenham Hotspur | 418 | (0) |
| 1959–1965 | Romford | 147 | (0) |
| Brentwood Town | |||
| National team | |||
| 1948–1956 | England | 6 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1959–1962 | Romford | ||
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Edwin George Ditchburn (born October 24, 1921 – died December 26, 2005) was an English professional football goalkeeper. He played for several teams, including Northfleet United, Tottenham Hotspur, Romford, and Brentwood Town. He also proudly represented the England national team six times.
Contents
Ted Ditchburn's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Ted Ditchburn's dad was a professional boxer. Before Ted became a football star, he worked in a paper mill. In 1937, he joined Tottenham Hotspur to work with the team behind the scenes. He became a professional player for the club in 1939. Before that, he played for Northfleet United, which was a team linked to Tottenham.
Playing During Wartime
During World War II, Ted served in the RAF (Royal Air Force). He worked as a physical education instructor. He played his first big game for Tottenham, nicknamed the Spurs, in a special wartime league match. This was against Chelsea on May 25, 1940. During the war, he also played for the RAF team and other combined forces teams. He even played for Aberdeen for a short time.
Becoming a Tottenham Legend
After the war, Ted returned to Tottenham. He made his official Football League debut on August 31, 1946. In this game, Tottenham lost 2-1 to Birmingham City. Ted then played in an amazing 247 games in a row! This streak lasted from April 1948 to March 1954.
He was a key player when Tottenham won the Division Two championship in the 1949–50 season. The very next year, they won the First Division league title. This was a huge achievement! Ted was known for his "short throw" technique. This helped start Tottenham's famous "push and run" style of play in the early 1950s. This style meant players passed the ball quickly and moved into open spaces.
End of His Spurs Career
Ted's time with Tottenham ended in August 1958. He broke a finger during a game against Chelsea. He played a total of 452 matches for the Lilywhites, which is another nickname for Tottenham.
Life After Tottenham
In 1959, Ted became a player and manager for Romford. This was a "non-league" club, meaning it wasn't part of the top professional leagues. He stopped being the manager in 1962 but kept playing for Romford until 1965. He played 147 games for the Essex-based club. After Romford, he joined Brentwood Town, where he finished his playing career.
Playing for England
International Matches
Ted Ditchburn played his first unofficial international game during the war in 1944. He played six official games for the England team between 1948 and 1956. During this time, other great goalkeepers like Frank Swift were also playing.
His first official match was against Switzerland in 1948. The next year, he played against Sweden. Ted was part of the England squad for the 1950 World Cup, but he didn't play in any matches. In 1953, he went on a tour to the United States as the backup goalkeeper. He played in a game where England won 6-3 against the USA.
When he was 35, Ted was playing really well for Tottenham. Because of this, he was called back to the national team in 1956. He played in three more international games that year.
Other Representative Games
Ted also played two games for the England B team. These were against Holland in May 1949 and Switzerland in January 1950. He also regularly played for teams representing the Football League XI and the Football Combination XI.
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 December 1948 | Highbury Stadium, London |  Switzerland |
6–0 | Friendly |
| 13 May 1949 | Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm |  Sweden |
1–3 | Friendly |
| 8 June 1953 | Polo Grounds, New York |  United States |
6–3 | Friendly |
| 14 November 1956 | Wembley Stadium, London |  Wales |
3–1 | British Home Championship |
| 28 November 1956 | Wembley Stadium, London |  Yugoslavia |
3–0 | Friendly |
| 5 December 1956 | Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton |  Denmark |
5–2 | 1958 World Cup qualifier |
Life After Football
After his football career, Ted Ditchburn opened a toy shop and a sports clothing store. He also worked in a business that sold office equipment. He loved playing cricket and tennis. He retired and lived in Romford until he passed away on December 26, 2005.
Achievements
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League First Division: 1950–51 (Champions of the top league)
- Football League Second Division: 1949–50 (Champions of the second league, earning promotion)
