Stan Charlton


Stanley Charlton was an English footballer and manager. Charlton featured as a right back with clubs Bromley, Leyton Orient and Arsenal. As a manager he was one of the longest serving at Weymouth.

Career

Bromley and Leyton Orient

He started his playing career as an amateur with Bromley, where he won four caps for the English amateur team. Charlton was also a member of Great Britain's squad for the 1952 Olympics, although he did not play within the footballing tournament. He signed as a professional for Leyton Orient in 1952, and was a near ever-present for the next three seasons for Orient, as they finished runners-up in the Third Division in 1954–55. He was selected to play for the Third Division South team against the North in 1955–56.

Arsenal

In November 1955 Charlton joined Arsenal with Orient teammate Vic Groves for £30,000, and succeeded Len Wills as the club's first-choice right back. He made his debut on 24 December 1955 against Chelsea and remained in the same position for mostly the rest of the season. Charlton was also an ever-present figure for the club in the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons, and played for the London XI in both legs of the semi-finals of the 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Lausanne Sports.

Return to Orient

However, he was dropped by Arsenal after a 3–1 defeat to Burnley in September 1958, in favour of Wills, the man he had originally displaced. Having made only four appearances in the first half of 1958–59 for Arsenal, he moved back to Orient in December 1958; he made 110 appearances for Arsenal, scoring three goals all of which were netted in the FA Cup. At Orient, he remained at the side for the next seven seasons, skippering them to promotion to the First Division in 1962 and for their one and only season in the top flight, 1962–63.

Retirement and later life

Stan Charlton retired in summer 1965, having played 366 league matches for Orient over the two spells. He became manager of Weymouth and remained in that post for seven years. After that, he became a district manager for a major football pools company.
Although he resided in far off Weymouth Stan remained very active with the O's and involved with Leyton Orient Supporters' Club where he attended several end of season award ceremonies. He also attended other popular LOSC functions, such as the regular reunions of fellow O's players that played in the 1963 Leyton Orient side that won promotion to the First Division for the first time in the club's history. He also took part in a presentation involving the Leyton Orient's supporters' trust also known as the Leyton Orient Fans' Trust.
Stan Charlton died in the early hours of 20 December 2012 in Dorchester Hospital, aged 83.

Personal life

He was born in Exeter, Devon, the son of Stanley Charlton, who played as a full back for Exeter City and Crystal Palace during the 1920s and 1930s. Despite his surname, he was not related to his contemporaries, those famous footballers Bobby and Jack Charlton.

Footnotes