Alfred James Worton (4 April 1914 – December 2000) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

. Having played in the Midlands non-Leagues, Worton was signed by

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

in 1933, but after failing to break into the first team, he signed for

after just one season. He made his professional debut for Norwich in 1934, and remained with the club for four seasons, before joining Southern League side

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

Career

Worton began his career playing for local sides Ettingshall Westley and Bilston Borough, before being signed up by

in 1933. He made over 60 reserve appearances for the club, but failed to break into the first-team. He was signed by

on 9 June 1934, joining the club following their promotion to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. Worton made his debut for Norwich on 13 October 1934 in a 2–1 defeat at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. He would go on to represent the club 23 times between 1934 and 1938, before joining Southern League side

on a free transfer on 3 June 1938. He made his Colchester debut on 27 August 1938 as the U's beat Gillingham 2–0 at

Layer Road Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...

. He made 68 appearances during his time with Colchester, making the

position his own and helping the club to the 1938–39 Southern League title. He started each of Colchester's games in the early stages of the 1939–40 season, but the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

caused the league to be abandoned, and Worton returned to his Midlands home. After retiring from playing, Worton would work in a Wolverhampton boilermaker until his retirement in 1977. He died in

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...

in December 2000.

Honours

;Colchester United *1938–39

Southern Football League The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...

winner

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worton, Alf 1914 births Footballers from Wolverhampton English men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Bilston Town F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players 2000 deaths