Reg Stratton Explained

Reg Stratton
Fullname:Reginald Malcolm Stratton[1]
Birth Date:1939 7, df=y
Birth Place:Kingsley, England
Death Date:[2]
Height:[3]
Position:Forward
Clubs1:Woking
Years2:1959–1965
Clubs2:Fulham
Caps2:21
Goals2:1
Years3:1965–1968
Caps3:112
Goals3:51
Years4:1968
Clubs4:Vancouver Royals
Caps4:4
Goals4:0
Clubs5:Brentwood Town
Clubs6:Basingstoke Town
Clubs7:Dover
Totalcaps:137
Totalgoals:52
Nationalyears2:1957
Nationalcaps2:3
Nationalgoals2:0

Reginald Malcolm Stratton (10 July 1939 – 21 May 2018) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Fulham and Colchester United and in the North American Soccer League for Vancouver Royals.

Career

Born in Kingsley, England youth and England amateur international Stratton joined Fulham in May 1959 after helping his club Woking to lift the FA Amateur Cup in front of a 71,000 strong crowd at Wembley Stadium by scoring in the 3–0 win. He had won England amateur caps against Germany, Ireland and Switzerland in 1957. With Woking, Stratton had scored 64 goals in 123 games for the club, but could only manage one goal in 21 games for Fulham between 1959 and 1965. His only league goal came against Liverpool.[3] [4]

Stratton rediscovered his scoring touch with Colchester United, where in 112 league games he scored 51 times.[4] He made his United debut on 21 August 1965, a 1–0 away defeat at Port Vale[5] and opened his scoring account with a brace on 1 September in the League Cup as the U's beat Exeter City 2–1 at Layer Road.[6] In each of his three seasons with Colchester, Stratton finished as top scorer with 17, 24 and nine goals respectively, helping the club gain promotion to the Third Division at the end of the 1965–66 season. However, after refusing new terms, he was placed on the transfer list,[3] and in 1968 briefly joined Vancouver Royals in the North American Soccer League where he made four appearances, before the team folded.[4]

Following his spell in Canada, Stratton returned to England in the English non-leagues, playing for Brentwood Town, Basingstoke Town and Dover.[3]

Personal life

Stratton is great-uncle to former Manchester United and England midfielder Tom Cleverley.

Stratton was also a keen cricketer and in his later years he and his family had many connections to Cove Cricket Club in Hampshire.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Colchester United – Player profile . Coludata.co.uk . 6 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120914055510/http://www.coludata.co.uk/player.asp?pid=269 . 14 September 2012 . dmy-all .
  2. Web site: Reg Stratton: 1939-2018 . Hudson . Matt . 25 May 2018 . Colchester United FC . 25 May 2018 .
  3. Book: Whitehead . Jeff . Drury . Kevin . The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years . 2008 . Breedon Books . Derby . 978-1-85983-629-3 . 228.
  4. Web site: REG STRATTON . Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database . 6 July 2013.
  5. Web site: Colchester United – Match details – Port Vale 1–0 Colchester Utd . Coludata.co.uk . 6 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090625164252/http://www.coludata.co.uk/matchdetails.asp?mid=1092 . 25 June 2009 . dmy-all .
  6. Web site: Colchester United – Match details – Colchester Utd 2–1 Exeter City . Coludata.co.uk . 6 July 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130706174231/http://coludata.co.uk/matchdetails.asp?mid=1095 . 6 July 2013 . dmy-all .