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Eric Lancelotte

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Eric Lancelotte
Personal information
Full name Eric Charles Lancelotte[1]
Date of birth (1917-02-26)26 February 1917[2]
Place of birth Jhansi, India
Date of death 1 September 2007(2007-09-01) (aged 90)[2]
Place of death Canterbury, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3]
Position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
Charlton Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Romford
1935–1948 Charlton Athletic 40 (6)
1948–1950 Brighton & Hove Albion 60 (14)
1950–1951 Chippenham Town
1951–195? Hastings United
1952–1953 Ashford Town 40 (8)
Folkestone Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eric Charles Lancelotte (26 February 1917 – 1 September 2007) was a British professional footballer who made 100 Football League appearances playing as an inside forward for Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion either side of the Second World War.[2] He also played non-league football for Romford, Chippenham Town, Hastings United, Ashford Town (Kent) and Folkestone Town.

Life and career

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Lancelotte was born in 1917 in Jhansi, India,[4] where his father was a regimental sergeant major,[5] and raised in the Woolwich area of London.[1] He began his football career with Romford,[1] signed for Charlton Athletic on amateur forms in 1933, and turned professional in 1935. He made his debut in 1937, but his career was interrupted by the Second World War. He served in the RAF,[5] made guest appearances for clubs including Millwall, Stockport County and Watford,[6] and was a member of tour parties that played football matches to entertain the troops.[5][7] He returned to Charlton after the war, and contributed to their 1946–47 FA Cup run, but lost his place before the semi-final and took no part in the final.[5][8]

After 60 First Division appearances by February 1948,[2] Lancelotte moved on to Brighton & Hove Albion of the Third Division South for a club record fee of £3,250. A clever, creative player rather than a goalscorer, he was an Albion regular for 18 months, but lost that role to Johnny McNichol, requested a transfer, and moved into non-league football.[1] He played for clubs including Chippenham Town, Hastings United, Ashford Town[9] and Folkestone Town, before acting as assistant manager of Bexleyheath & Welling.[1]

He lived in Whitstable in later life,[5] and died in Canterbury in 2007 at the age of 90.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Eric Lancelotte". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Charlton Athletic. Old players get their chance". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. iv – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Player search: Lancelotte, EC (Eric)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Atkin, Ronald (28 October 2001). "He played for just 25 shillings a week but backs a strike". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  6. ^ Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War 1939–45. London: Headline. pp. 370, 416, 433. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
  7. ^ "British Services Football in India 1944 to 1946". Soccer History. No. 15. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Reid leads Addicks quartet on international stage". News Shopper. Orpington. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Eric Lancelotte Player Profile". The Nuts and Bolts Archive. Retrieved 14 March 2022.