Orient mourn keeper Pat

07 July 2010

FORMER Leyton Orient goalkeeper Pat Welton passed away last week, aged 82.

Welton was born in Eltham in May 1928 and played amateur football for Chislehurst, before joining the O's in 1949.

He worked as a PE teacher before turning professional, but had a baptism of fire as Notts County beat him seven times on October 1, 1949.

Following a 2-0 defeat at Aldershot, Welton was replaced by Polish keeper Stan Gerula, but manager Alec Stock restored him to the line-up in December.

Two more defeats saw Sid Hobbins replace Welton in the side, but he was back between the posts by March 1950 and became a regular over the next six seasons.

A member of the Division Three South title-winning side, Welton made 263 league appearances in total for O's, as well as 18 FA Cup appearances, putting him among the club's top 20 for games played.

Half of those came in the 1951/2 season, when O's played Gorleston three times, Wrexham and Everton twice and Birmingham, before bowing out of the competition with a 3-0 loss against Arsenal.

He moved to QPR in March 1958, but made only three appearances for the west London club before moving into coaching with England Youth, who he led to the UEFA Championship in 1963.

Welton became Tottenham's first full-time youth manager six years later and led them to two FA Youth Cup wins, working with a young Glenn Hoddle.

He was assistant manager to Keith Burkinshaw at White Hart Lane, helping Spurs gain promotion to Division One in 1978, and also managed St Albans City and Walthamstow Avenue, before a stint overseas in Kuwait.

His funeral is at Forest Park Crematorium, IG6 3HP tomorrow (Friday) at 11.15am.