Kenneth Charles Hollyman (18 November 1922 – 14 May 2009) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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 ...

Career

Hollyman began his career playing for Cardiff Nomads before joining Cardiff City in 1939. He played in more than eighty wartime matches, serving with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

during the war, for the club before eventually making his league debut against

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 ...

on the opening day of the 1946–47 season, the first season of league football following the end 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 ...

. He missed very few games in the next few years, including being ever-present during the 1950–51 season, before being allowed to leave in 1953 to join Newport County. In the 1958–59 FA Cup Newport County faced

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

in the fourth round. The game was played in heavy snow away at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

, and although County lost 4–1 their goal came from a 35-yard effort by Hollyman. This made the scoreline 1–2, giving County the hope that they could force an upset upon Bill Nicholson's men (who were

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

winners a year later). However, two late goals for Tottenham ended County's hopes of pulling off a shock result. Hollyman spent seven years with Newport County at

Somerton Park Somerton Park was a football, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Newport, South Wales. Football In April 1912 Newport County had been accepted to play in the Southern League for the 1912–13 season. Shortly afterwards, the site ...

before leaving to become player-coach at

Ton Pentre Ton Pentre () is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district ...

. Hollyman died in Cardiff on 14 May 2009 at the age of 86."Kenneth Hollyman:Obituary"
bmdsonline.co.uk Retrieved on 7 September 2009

Honours

;Cardiff City *

Division Three South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to o ...

Winner: 1 :: 1946–47 * Division Two Runner-up: 1 :: 1951–52 *

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the mos ...

Finalist: 1 :: 1951–52

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollyman, Ken 1922 births 2009 deaths Welsh footballers Footballers from Cardiff Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players English Football League players Ton Pentre F.C. players Association football defenders