Reg Newton

Reg Newton
Personal information
Full nameReginald William Newton[1]
Date of birth30 June 1926
Place of birthLimehouse, England
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
Dagenham Works
1948–1949Leyton Orient23(0)
1949–1957Brentford82(0)
1957Tunbridge Wells United
1957–1958Brentford5(0)
1958–1959Yiewsley
1959–1960Chelmsford City29(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Reg Newton is a retired English professional football goalkeeper. He is best remembered for his two spells in the Football League with Brentford, making 90 appearances.

Playing career

Leyton Orient

A goalkeeper, Newton began his career with the Dagenham Works team and earned a move to the Football League with Leyton Orient in 1948.[1] He made 23 league appearances for the struggling Division Three South outfit during the 1948/49 season and left the club at the end of the campaign.[1]

Brentford

Newton moved across London to sign for Division Two club Brentford prior to the beginning of the 1949/50 season.[1] Newton was a second-choice goalkeeper behind Alf Jefferies, Ted Gaskell and Gerry Cakebread for much of his time at Griffin Park,[1] but was first-choice during the 1953/54 season, making 42 appearances in a campaign which saw the Bees relegated from Division Two.[2] Nonetheless, his service to the club was recognised when he was awarded the share of the benefits from a testimonial match shared with George Bristow, Ken Horne and Billy Sperrin in 1956.[1] Newton left the club in February 1957,[1] having made 85 appearances in just under eight years at Griffin Park.[2]

Tunbridge Wells United

Newton dropped into non-league football to sign for Kent League Division One side Tunbridge Wells United in February 1957, linking up with former Brentford teammate Billy Sperrin.[1] He left the club the following July.[1]

Return to Brentford

New Brentford manager Malky McDonald re-signed Newton in July 1957, as backup for Gerry Cakebread and Sonny Feehan.[1] He failed to make an appearance during the 1957/58 season and was transfer-listed in May 1958.[3]

Return to non-league football

Newton closed out his career with spells at Southern League sides Yiewsley and Chelmsford City, once again linking up with Billy Sperrin at the former club.[1] He called time on his career at the end of the 1959/60 season.

Personal life

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Newton joined the Army and was trained at Aldershot to be a PT instructor.[4] While at Aldershot he was friends with Frank Swift, Denis Compton, Bill Shankly and Matt Busby.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 116. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  2. 2.0 2.1 http://www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk/player.php?id=485
  3. getwestlondon Administrator. "Sands of Time: When bad luck and bribery broke Bee's hearts". getwestlondon. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. 4.0 4.1 http://www.legendspublishing.net/images/gaskell.pdf