Sam Bartram

Sam Bartram

Sam arrived at Kenilworth Road in the summer of 1960 as a popular choice to succeed Syd Owen as manager, even if his York side had just been relegated from Division Three. A well-known figure in the game who was widely regarded the best goalkeeper not to play for England, he had spent 22 years at Charlton making over 800 appearances before hanging up his boots in 1956, his standing so high that a statue of him can be found outside The Valley.

He inherited an aging set of players at Luton that had just suffered relegation from the top flight, and a fanbase expecting an immediate return. However, his side was inconsistent and could only labour to mid-table in his first season in charge, though a lack of funding certainly played its part. It was more of the same at the start of the next season, now with more of the 'old guard' from the 1959 FA Cup final gone. A run of four defeats on the spin resulted in his dismissal and though the official line was that it was a decision of 'mutual consent', Sam was left seething at the perceived injustice and hit back with a series of remarkable articles in the Sunday People which became the talk of football, revealing just what he thought of Town's directors and aging team. 

He never returned to football management, instead becoming a respected match reporter with the Sunday People, though his post dismissal rants left him barred from the press box at Kenilworth Road, resulting in the need to pay for admission and finding a phone box to file his report. In time the anomosity was forgotten and Sam became a regular visitor up to his death in 1981.

His fame has grown again in recent years as the story of a match played on Christmas Day 1937 has been shared online. With a thick fog descending on Stamford Bridge the referee called a halt to proceedings, but an unaware Sam remained at his post in the Charlton goal, peering into the thick fog while everyone else sat in the dressing room. It was only when a policeman found him and asked, 'what are you still doing here,' that he realised the game had been abandoned!

Further Reading:

Right Man, Wrong Time?

Sam Bartram's time at Kenilworth Road, by Roger Wash.