26 Facts About Syd Puddefoot

Sydney Charles Puddefoot was an English footballer who played for West Ham United, Falkirk and Blackburn Rovers.

Syd Puddefoot played mainly as a centre forward or inside right.

Syd Puddefoot went on to coach at Fenerbahce, and manage Galatasaray and Northampton Town.

Syd Puddefoot was a pupil at Park School in West Ham and played junior football with Condor Athletic and Limehouse Town before being spotted by West Ham United in a London Juniors match against Surrey Juniors.

Syd Puddefoot worked at a munitions factory for most of World War I and was not called up for service until late on in the conflict.

Syd Puddefoot made 126 appearances in the wartime London Combination and scored nearly 100 goals, including seven against Crystal Palace in April 1918.

Syd Puddefoot scored 21 goals for West Ham that season, and was selected to play for England in three Victory International games.

Syd Puddefoot's exploits made him much sought after and Falkirk, who had witnessed the player first-hand, won the battle for his transfer on 7 February 1922.

Syd Puddefoot spent three seasons at Brockville Park, scoring 45 goals in 113 league appearances.

Syd Puddefoot won the FA Cup with Blackburn in 1928.

Syd Puddefoot set up the opening goal in the first minute of the match when he shoulder-charged Billy Mercer, the goalkeeper of opponents Huddersfield Town, with Jack Roscamp following-up to score.

In 1929, Syd Puddefoot was among the first to take advantage of the new FA rule that allowed for personal hearings for disciplinary matters, after his sending off against Bolton Wanderers.

Syd Puddefoot left Blackburn, having scored 87 goals in 267 appearances in all competitions.

Syd Puddefoot made seven appearances that season without return, and managed three goals in 15 appearances the following season.

Syd Puddefoot played his 192nd and final game for West Ham on 6 March 1933, scoring the last of his 107 goals for the club.

Syd Puddefoot did gain official caps when he played twice for England in the British Home Championship, once in 1925 and once in 1926.

Syd Puddefoot played cricket for Essex and had shown promise before leaving for Scotland.

Syd Puddefoot appeared in eight first-class matches in 1922 and 1923, travelling back to Essex during summers while he was with Falkirk.

Syd Puddefoot returned to England in 1934 for the birth of his child.

Syd Puddefoot played twice for St Annes FC of the Ribblesdale League in June 1934.

Syd Puddefoot worked as an FA instructor to Kent Secondary Schoolboys, replacing Wally Hardinge in the role in 1935, but left to take on the managers role at Northampton Town.

Syd Puddefoot joined the East Midlands club on 8 March 1935 and stayed for two years, resigning on 10 March 1937 after a disagreement over club policy.

Syd Puddefoot left the club having won 41 of his 94 games in charge.

Syd Puddefoot joined Southend United as a scout in 1967.

Syd Puddefoot died in October 1972 after a three-week battle against pneumonia, just before what would have been his 78th birthday.

Syd Puddefoot was survived by his wife, Lillian, and daughter, Susanne Puddefoot, a journalist who edited the Times Women's Page in the 1960s.