Roy Wootton - Rest in Peace

Roy Wootton Rest in Peace

We were very sad to learn of the passing of former Dulwich Hamlet player Roy Wootton, aged 84. Our thoughts are with son Mike and family.

Although Roy retired from football when he was still only 25 years old, his love for the Hamlet continued into his eighties, until illness got the upper hand over his ailing body and mind. His final appearances on the Champion Hill terraces were three or four years ago.

Roy was truly passionate about the club, and was just as happy going onto the pitch with the Dulwich crowds to celebrate a promotion or visiting other grounds with Mike as he was when he was scoring goals from the right wing position in his playing career. A lovely gentleman and a truly humble man, it was always nice to have a brief chat with him. One never heard Roy boasting of his playing career for the pink and blues, and it would not surprise me if a large percentage of our  supporters actually knew who this elderly gentleman was that passed among them on match days home and away.

Born in South London in 1938, Roy spent his formative years at Sidcup Secondary School. His footballing heroes were Stanley Mortenson and Stanley Matthews, who both played for Blackpool. Two of England’s finest, they would have made a huge impression on him in the FA Cup Final in the Coronation Year of 1953. Mortenson with his goals and Matthews with his wing play. The Sports Master at Roy’s school was so impressed with the teenager’s talent that he secured the youngster a trial at his old club. The master, who later became Head Master, was former Dulwich Hamlet player Glynn ‘Bombhead’ Jones. He acquired the nickname due to his powerful headed goals a decade earlier.  

Roy made his Hamlet debut aged 17 on Boxing Day 1955 against Wembley. But he was clearly not ready and had to wait until the following season for his second game. And even then it was a single outing. He scored five goals in the five matches played in the season after that, then in 1958/59 he appeared in 12 games. The lack of games may have been due to Roy completing two years National Service. For the next four seasons he was given more of a run-out, scoring 17, 13, 14 and 10 goals respectively. Two further seasons were played before Roy retired from the game. He cited two reasons why he decided to retire - the birth of his son Michael and the need to wear spectacles. Tommy Jover, a legendary figure at Champion Hill, wrote to Roy the following season and asked him to reconsider his decision, but Roy was adamant. He appreciated he was highly valued by the club, but he was now a family man and all the travelling on matchdays meant he would miss out on his little boy growing up. Roy treasured the letter from Tommy, and held onto it for the rest of his life.

Dulwich Hamlet. Roy Wootton front centre with ball

In an article for the Hamlet Historian magazine in 2016 Roy told us that training took place twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Ernie Tozer was the coach and we used to start by doing laps of the pitch, then sprinting and a five a side game. John Hall who lived at North Cray, had a minibus and would give a lift to Reg Merritt, Arthur Aitken, Frank Beard and me. The team didn’t have a manager as such. The team was selected by committee. The officials were Leonard Bawcutt (President), Arnold Batting (Chairman), Eddie Rengger (Hon. Secretary), and Ernie Skipper (Club Captain). Reg Merritt was a great player and a great captain who everyone respected. He holds the record for the most first team appearances.”  

Roy also pointed out that he played for the Army Pay Corps while he was doing his National Service at Northampton. “Recognising that I was a footballer they asked me to be the regiment Physical Training Instructor. The Royal Army Pay Corps team won the Goodliffe Cup two years running beating Northampton Town Police both times. In 1957 the score was 9-1 and in 1958 the score was 2-1.” The captain of that side was future teammate at Dulwich Hamlet John Hammond. “John was a talented footballer and I encouraged him to come to Dulwich for a trial, and so began a very distinguished career.”

Royal Army Pay Corps (Northampton)

Roy Wootton back row, third from left. John Hammond front row, second from right.

Roy generally played in the inside or outside right positions and sometimes at centre forward. Unfortunately it was not a particularly successful period for Dulwich on and off the pitch, but it was a great club with a great history and a ground that was the envy of many a Football League club.

There was nothing nasty about Roy’s game. Indeed, the only booking (yellow card) he ever received was during a reserve team match where he dared to argue with the referee! 

One of the highlights of Roy’s own career was representing an FA XI at Crystal Palace. Another was surely the night the floodlights were opened at Champion Hill by Chelsea, the league leaders of the English top-flight, and a team packed with stars. It has been said that Roy Wootton was the Hamlet’s best player that evening.  

On the quiet, Roy, along with several other Hamlet players, also turned out for a Sunday League team Waring Athletic. They were a very successful side winning promotion to the top division, then winning the league and the senior cup. But it was all kept a bit hush hush in case the Dulwich Hamlet committee heard about it and put a stop to it. It would not have gone down well if one of the players had picked up an injury.

Waring Athletic, Roy Wootton Back row, third from left.

In fact Roy kept relatively free from injury throughout his career. On one occasion however, he did receive an opponents knee in the face during an FA Cup tie against Wokingham. It occurred early in the game and the Hamlet had to play on with ten men because no substitutes were allowed in those days. But when a gallant Roy reappeared from the tunnel ten minutes into the second half with several stitches below his eye, the Champion Hill crowd erupted in a spontaneous burst of applause. 

In 208 appearances for the Dulwich Hamlet first team Roy scored 70 goals. It is actually rather surprising to find that Roy Wootton’s goals per game ratio was one goal  in 2.97 games. That is a better return than the legendary Willie Lillington - a goal per 3.1 games; Kim Connett - a goal per 3.15 games; and Ashley Carew - a goal per 3.63 games.

One wonders how many more appearances and goals he would have chalked up if he had continued playing into his early thirties.

Roy passed away peacefully on October 19, 2022. The funeral will be held on November 25, 2022 at Eltham Crematorium, Crown Woods Way, London, SE9 2AZ. The nearest station is Falconwood.

The family would love to see all Dulwich Hamlet ex-players and supporters that knew Roy. Please wear a pink and blue scarf.

Farewell Ken ‘Zico’ Deacon (1957-2021)

Former Dulwich Hamlet defender Ken Deacon has sadly passed away at the age of 64. His funeral takes place in Islington on 20 January 2022.

Ken came off the substitutes’ bench to make his Dulwich Hamlet debut on 21 November 1987, against Harrow Borough in an FA Trophy match. It was the first of only two appearances that season. His next first team game did not take place until the opening match of the 1989/90 season, away to Redbridge Forest in the Isthmian League Premier Division. It was in this game that Ken scored the first of his three Hamlet goals and earned him his nickname.

That goal, the last kick of the game, proved to be a consolation in a 2-1 defeat. But it was the distance from goal and the accuracy of the volley – a spectacular twenty yarder which flew into the top corner of the net – that immediately saw Ken labelled Zico by the Dulwich Rabble behind the goal. Zico, you may remember, was the brilliant Brazilian footballer of the time and still regarded as one of the greatest of all time.

Despite spending the best part of three seasons in the reserves Ken made a total of 22 first team appearances for Dulwich. That final year was not a great one for the Hamlet who were relegated to the First Division in May 1990. Nevertheless, one of Ken’s most memorable matches was the FA Cup 4^th qualifying round replay at Merthyr Tydfil. The Hamlet players and officials travelled to Wales on the team coach with a dozen or so supporters filling the empty seats, Merthyr won the tie 4-2 but the magic of the cup made it a night to remember forever.

Ken had actually had an earlier spell with the Hamlet in 1979/80 but did not get past the second string. He once said, “There was no chance of playing in the first team as they had such a good side, even though two of the reserves went on to play professional football, Carlton Fairweatherwith Wimbledon and Steve Galloway with Crystal Palace.”

Lee Akers, sometimes teammate sometimes opponent, first met Ken in the early eighties, playing for Sunday League team Leabridge. It was in the days when many senior non-league players having played in the Isthmian League also played on the following day. “It was mad,” said Lee, “You could have a harder game on Sunday than you did on the Saturday!” The pair of them played at Carshalton Athletic and later joined up at Dulwich.  “Kenny was one of life’s nice guys, and could play at full back or midfield, but mainly as full back. A hardworking player who always battled for the full ninety minutes.”

Ray Purvis, Ken’s captain at Dulwich Hamlet remembered him as “A skilful player who could play anywhere he was asked, whether on the wing or even up front. It was a difficult period in the club’s history under Eddie Presland, yet Ken gave his all every time. It was a pleasure to have known him.”

In recent years Ken had to undergo dialysis treatment for kidney failure, but went on to have a successful transplant. After receiving a new kidney and experiencing much better health he travelled round America with his family.

Neither did his plight stop him continuing in his job as a London Taxi driver or maintaining his fitness by running in the park and organising football matches at Hampstead Heath on Fridays. Even in his sixties he was admired by the youngsters for being such a good player.

Tragically however, during his usual jog through Hampstead Heath on 29 November 2021 Ken Deacon suffered a fatal heart attack. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Jack McInroy

My thanks to Richard Watts, Shaun Dooley, Ray Purvis and Lee Akers for help in completing this article.

The Oldest Living Dulwich Hamlet Player is 100

 

Happy 100th birthday to former Dulwich Hamlet player Richard Boyd who wore the pink and blue in 1940..

Click the link above to read Richard's life story or watch the YouTube video below to see Richard speak of his wartime memories.

Eddie Presland, RIP.

We were very sad to learn of the death of former Dulwich Hamlet manager Eddie Presland, aged 78. He passed from this life in a hospice in Newcastle surrounded by his loved ones. Our deepest condolences to Eddie’s family and friends.

Following Alan Smith’s departure from Dulwich in the summer of 1981, Eddie Presland was appointed the Hamlet manager, a post he held for the next three years. At the end of that third season he won the London Senior Cup. It was the first of two spells at the club.

Born in Loughton, Essex on 27 March 1943, when Eddie arrived at Champion Hill, he was working as a PE Teacher at Stepney Green Secondary School, married with a thirteen year old son and living in Upminster.

He had a fine semi-professional pedigree in non-league football management, and in 1980 led his Dagenham side to the FA Trophy, the first Isthmian League team to win it. Prior to that he played for and managed Wealdstone, after a spell coaching and playing in South Africa.

His professional career was largely spent playing reserve team football, but there were wonderful highlights. He famously scored on his West Ham United debut against Liverpool in 1965, his most memorable match. His boyhood club went on to win 2-1. Four of the players on the field that day – Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Roger Hunt – would be in the England team that won the World Cup at the end of the following season. Brief highlights of the game including Eddie’s goal can be found here .

During his time at West Ham, Eddie spent the summers playing County cricket for Essex. He then played three seasons for Crystal Palace, and went out on loan to Orient and Colchester United, thus making appearances in all four divisions of the Football League.

The second spell at Dulwich Hamlet came midway through the 1987/88 season when he turned things around and saved the club from relegation. And then, in November 1989 Eddie was controversially sacked after a run of bad results, but this only led to the Hamlet going into free-fall which saw them relegated at the end of the season.

Other clubs managed by Eddie include Hendon and Gravesend & Northfleet. Then in later years he took up scouting for some top-flight clubs, and played a part in bringing Luca Modric and Dimitar Berbatov to Tottenham Hotspur.

Rest in peace, Eddie Presland.