Ernest Muttitt

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Ernest Muttitt
Personal information
Full name Ernest Muttitt[1]
Date of birth (1908-07-24)24 July 1908
Place of birth Middlesbrough, England
Date of death 8 August 1996(1996-08-08) (aged 88)[2]
Place of death Brentford, England[2]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3]
Position(s) Utility player
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1929 South Bank
1929–1932 Middlesbrough 20 (3)
1932–1947 Brentford 92 (25)
1943 → West Ham United (guest) 1 (0)
1944 → West Ham United (guest) 1 (0)
1946 → Colchester United (loan) 1 (0)
Dover
Dartford
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ernest Muttitt (24 July 1908 – 8 August 1996) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford and Middlesbrough. He was posthumously inducted into the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2015. A utility player, Muttitt was nicknamed "Bulldog".[4]

Club career[edit]

Middlesbrough[edit]

An outside left, Muttitt began his career in his native north east with Northern League club South Bank, before transferring to newly promoted First Division club Middlesbrough in April 1929.[5] Muttitt had to wait until 27 November 1929 to make his debut and scored the winner in a 2–1 victory over Arsenal.[6] He managed 14 appearances and three goals during the 1929–30 season as Middlesbrough consolidated their position with a mid-table finish.[6][7] Muttitt found first team chances harder to come by in the following two seasons and departed Ayresome Park at the end of the 1931–32 season.[6] Muttitt made 25 appearances and scored four goals during his three years with Middlesbrough.[6]

Brentford[edit]

During the 1932 off-season, Muttitt joined Third Division South club Brentford as part of a four-way transfer, with former Middlesbrough teammates Jack Holliday, Billy Scott and Herbert Watson all arriving at Griffin Park.[5] Muttitt made 14 appearances and scored four goals during his first season with the Bees, in which the club finished as Third Division South champions.[8] Muttitt broke into the team during the 1933–34 season, making 40 appearances and scoring 12 goals as Brentford finished fourth in the club's first season in the second tier.[8] 1934–35 was a mixed season for Muttitt, making only 14 appearances, but scoring seven goals and winning a Second Division championship medal.[8] He spent much of the season in the reserve team and contributed to its London Challenge Cup triumph.[9]

With Brentford now in the First Division for the first time in the club's history, Muttitt spent long periods out of the team.[8] He made just 13 appearances between August 1935 and May 1937 and then spent nearly two years in the reserve team.[5][8] He returned to first team action in February 1939 and made 13 appearances in what remained of the 1938–39 season.[8] The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and the suspension of competitive football brought Muttitt's professional career to a halt, but he remained with Brentford throughout the war, making 100 further appearances and guesting for eight different teams.[2][4][8][10] He was used as a utility player during this period and was deployed in forward and defensive roles.[5]

Muttitt joined Southern League club Colchester United on loan towards the end of the 1945–46 season, where he linked up with former Brentford teammate Roddy Munro.[5] He made one appearance, in a 5–2 victory over Guildford City.[11] Muttitt remained with the Brentford until 1947 and left Griffin Park after having made 94 competitive appearances and scored 25 goals for the club.[5]

Later years[edit]

Muttitt signed for Kent League First Division club Dover in 1947, who were managed at the time by his former Brentford teammate George Poyser.[5] He ended his career with a spell at Southern League club Dartford.[5]

Personal life[edit]

Muttitt was married with two children.[2] In 1942, Muttitt moved into a house on Braemar Road (opposite Brentford's Griffin Park ground) and in later years was a regular spectator at matches.[5] He was a member of the Special Police Force during the Second World War.[4] In March 2018, Muttitt's son Robert and his family were chosen by Brentford to break ground at the Brentford Community Stadium.[12]

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Middlesbrough 1929–30[6] First Division 10 2 4 1 14 3
1930–31[6] 5 1 1 0 6 1
1931–32[6] 5 0 0 0 5 0
Total 20 3 5 1 25 4
Brentford 1932–33[8] Third Division South 14 4 0 0 14 4
1933–34[8] Second Division 39 12 1 0 40 12
1934–35[8] 14 7 0 0 14 7
1935–36[8] First Division 5 1 1 0 6 1
1936–37[8] 7 1 0 0 7 1
1938–39[8] 13 0 0 0 13 0
Total 92 25 2 0 94 25
Career total 112 28 7 1 119 29

Honours[edit]

Brentford

Individual

References[edit]

  1. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 215. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. ^ a b c d Kaufman, Neilson. "VE Day WW2 players as at May 2020" (PDF). pp. 83–84. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Brentford. Only one change in 'Bees' team". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. iv – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 170. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 113. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Ernest Muttitt". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  7. ^ Middlesbrough F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m White 1989, p. 372-375.
  9. ^ a b Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 82. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  10. ^ Chapman, Mark. "Boro Connections: Five players that shaped Brentford football Club's history". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Ernie Muttitt – Players – Colchester United". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Family selected to break ground at Brentford Community Stadium". Brentford FC. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  13. ^ Wickham, Chris. "Kevin O'Connor and Marcus Gayle join others in being added to Brentford FC Hall of Fame". brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
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