Walter Judd (footballer)

Walter James Judd (25 October 1926 – 18 December 1964)[2] was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward in the 1940s and 1950s for Southampton.

Walter Judd
Personal information
Full name Walter James Judd
Date of birth (1926-10-25)25 October 1926
Place of birth Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Date of death 17 December 1964(1964-12-17) (aged 38)
Place of death Nomansland, Wiltshire, England
Position(s) Centre-forward
Youth career
Downton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1949 Nomansland
1949–1953 Southampton 34[1] (13)
1957 Nomansland
International career
1952 England B 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

edit

Judd was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and as a youth played football for local sides Downton and Nomansland.[2] Before becoming a professional footballer, he had been conscripted as a "Bevin Boy", working at Blackwood Colliery in South Wales.[3]

He was signed by Southampton in August 1949 and spent his first two years at The Dell in the reserves, for whom he scored 27 goals in 34 matches. This form earned him a call to the first team, for whom he made his debut away to Leicester City, when he took the place of Eric Day for a Second Division match on 21 April 1951.[4]

Judd spent the start of the 1951–52 season in the reserves but was recalled to the first team on 22 December 1951, taking the place of Eddy Brown for the match against Barnsley.[5] He scored the Saints' goal in a 1–1 draw and retained his place for the remainder of the season, scoring nine goals in 19 appearances.[5] His form earned him a call-up to the England B team for a match against the British Olympic XI.[2]

Although Judd started the following season as first choice centre-forward, playing the opening 13 games, scoring four goals, he lost his place to Frank Dudley and dropped back to the reserves.[6] On 26 December 1952, in a reserve match against Plymouth Argyle, Judd snapped ligaments in his leg and his professional career was over.[3]

Later career

edit

Following his retirement, he lived at Nomansland in the New Forest and worked for the Forestry Commission. In 1957, he came out of retirement to play for his local village side.[2]

Judd died at Nomansland on 18 December 1964, aged 38.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ Hugman 1981, p. 202.
  2. ^ a b c d e Holley & Chalk 1992, pp. 189–190.
  3. ^ a b Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, pp. 364–365.
  4. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 20–21.
  5. ^ a b Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 25.
  6. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, p. 30.

Bibliography

edit
  • Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints – A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9926864-0-6.
  • Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  • Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A Post-war Chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
  • Hugman, Barry (1981). Football League Players Records (1946–1981). Aylesbury: Rothmans Publications. ISBN 0-907574-08-4.
edit