Bert Turner

Herbert Gwyn Turner (19 June 1909 – 8 June 1981) was a Welsh international footballer who played as a full back for Charlton Athletic. He was best known for scoring for both sides in the 1946 FA Cup Final, becoming the first player to do so.

Football career Turner was born in Brithdir, Caerphilly and, after school, he joined the Welch Regiment where he had a reputation as an all-round sportsman winning medals for rugby, athletics and hockey with Army teams, as well as playing football. On leaving the army, he returned to his place of birth where he made four appearances for the village team before a trial with Charlton Athletic. Wales followed this with victories over Scotland (2–1) and Ireland (4–1) to comfortably claim the 1937 British Home Championship. Turner made a total of eight appearances for Wales prior to the war, with five victories and three defeats. He continued to turn out regularly for Wales during the early part of the war, making a further eight appearances in wartime internationals.

After the cessation of hostilities, there was no League football in 1945–46. The FA Cup was the main competition to be played this season; to make up for the lack of quality matches, all FA Cup rounds from round one up to and including the quarter-finals were made two-legged ties (rather than the traditional single matches) with the aggregate score determining who went through to the next round. After easy victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End and Brentford, Charlton met Bolton Wanderers in the semi-final. Bolton were still suffering from the after-effects of the Burnden Park disaster in which 33 spectators were killed as a result of overcrowding. Charlton won the semi-final comfortably to set up a Cup Final against Derby County.

The final was played at Wembley Stadium on 27 April 1946. The game was goalless until the 85th minute, when Jackie Stamps and a Charlton defender jumped up to head a centre from the right. As the ball was nodded out it went straight to Dally Duncan, who shot goalwards. Turner tried to kick the ball clear, but only managed to turn the ball into his own net. In the next minute Turner scored for his own side when he took a free-kick from the edge of the Rams' penalty area, and although goalkeeper Vic Woodley appeared to have the shot well covered, the ball struck a Derby player and was deflected past Woodley into the opposite corner of the net to which he was diving. The match finished level after 90 minutes, but in extra time Derby County scored three goals to win the match 4–1.

Turner played one more season with Charlton, but was no longer a regular choice, and was used as cover for Peter Croker at right back or Herbert Johnson at right-half. Turner retired in 1947 after a 14-year Charlton career in which he played 196 matches. Apart from the cup-final goal, his only other goals were two penalties.

Coaching career He moved to Dartford as player-coach 1947 and 1950 he spent a year in the Netherlands coaching Dortrecht FC. He then left for Sweden where he coached Malmö FF and Kalmar FF.

Later career In 1956, he returned to England, where he became a licensee in Manston, Kent, until 1980.

Honours

As a player Charlton Athletic Football League Third Division South: 1934–35 Football League Second Division runners-up: 1935–36 FA Cup runner-up: 1945–46

Wales British Home Championship: 1937

As a manager Malmö FF Allsvenskan: 1951, 1953 Svenska Cupen: 1951, 1953