Len Newcombe
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard John Newcombe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 28 February 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | March 1996 (aged 65)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Playing position | Outside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1947–1948 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1956 | Fulham | 23 | (3) |
| 1948 | → Margate (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1956–1959 | Brentford | 85 | (8) |
| 1959–1960 | Guildford City | ||
| 1960–1961 | Sittingbourne | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Bernard John "Len" Newcombe (28 February 1931 – March 1996) was a Welsh professional football outside forward who appeared in the Football League for Brentford and Fulham.[2] He later returned to Fulham as a scout.
Club career
Fulham
Newcombe was spotted playing youth football in Wales by former Fulham goalkeeper Ossie Evans, who recommended the young winger to his former club.[3] Newcombe joined the Division Two club in 1947. By the time Newcombe made his professional debut in a 1–0 defeat to Burnley on the final day of the 1950–51 season, the Cottagers were in Division One.[3] He was always on the fringes of the first team at Craven Cottage and left the club in 1956, having made 23 appearances and scored three goals.[2]
Margate (loan)
Newcombe joined high-flying Kent League Division One side Margate on loan in January 1948. He made just one appearance before returning to Fulham.[3]
Brentford
Newcombe signed for Division Three South side Brentford in 1956, appearing in the final three games of the 1955–56 season.[2] He established himself in the team in the 1956–57 season, making 46 appearances and he was a regular again the following year.[4] Newcombe's professional career was effectively ended by a broken collarbone suffered in a match versus Torquay United in April 1958.[2] Brentford were forced to play the rest of the match with 10 men and the resulting 1–0 defeat saw the Bees finish as runners-up in the Division Three South and miss out on promotion to Division Two.[2] Newcombe made just one appearance during the 1958–59 season and departed the club at the end of the campaign.[2][4] He made 89 appearances and scored eight goals during three years at Griffin Park.[2]
Non-league football
Newcombe closed out his career with spells at Southern League sides Guildford City and Sittingbourne.[2]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Margate (loan) | 1947–48[3] | Kent League | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Brentford | 1955–56[4] | Third Division South | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | |
| 1956–57[4] | 43 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 3 | ||
| 1957–58[4] | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 1958–59[4] | Third Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 86 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 90 | 8 | ||
References
- 1 2 "Barry Hugman's Footballers – Len Newcombe". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 63. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- 1 2 3 4 "Len Newcombe". margatefchistory.com. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 383–385. ISBN 0951526200.