Charlie Fleming
{{short description|Scottish footballer and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Charlie Fleming
| fullname = Charles Fleming{{Hugman|6483|accessdate=13 May 2017}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|7|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Blairhall, Fife, Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|8|14|1927|7|12|df=y}}
| death_place = Edinburgh, Scotland
| position = Striker
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Blairhall Colliery
| years1 = 1947–1955
| years2 = 1955–1958
| years3 = 1958–1965
| years4 = 1964
| clubs1 = East Fife
| clubs2 = Sunderland
| clubs3 = Bath City
| clubs4 = → Toronto City (loan)
| caps1 = 173
| goals1 = 117
| caps2 = 107
| goals2 = 62
| caps3 = 300
| goals3 = 216
| totalcaps = 580
| totalgoals = 395
| nationalyears1 = 1953
| nationalteam1 = Scotland
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| nationalyears2 = 1951
| nationalteam2 = Rest of the UK[http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamHons/HonsRepTms.html England Player Honours - International Representative Teams] englandfootballonline.com Retrieved 27 Jun 2010
| nationalcaps2 = 1
| nationalgoals2 = 1
}}
Charles Fleming (12 July 1927 – 14 August 1997) was a Scottish footballer who played for Blairhall Colliery, East Fife, Sunderland and the Scotland national team. Fleming was nicknamed 'Cannonball Charlie' for his shooting ability and is Bath City's all-time top goal scorer.
Fleming was born in Blairhall, Fife and joined East Fife from Blairhall Colliery and became an integral part of East Fife's success in the 1940s and 1950s. Fleming won the League Cup with East Fife in 1949 and 1953 and was part of the side that reached the 1950 Scottish Cup Final.[http://www.qosfc.com/AboutUs/QueensLegends/tabid/115/Default.aspx Bobby Black interview] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226192017/http://www.qosfc.com/AboutUs/QueensLegends/tabid/115/Default.aspx |date=February 26, 2009 }}
During his time with East Fife he won his only international cap, scoring twice for Scotland in a 3–1 win against Northern Ireland on 3 October 1953 at Windsor Park.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/scot-intres1955.html |title=Scotland - International Matches 1951-1955 |date=11 April 2019 |access-date=27 February 2020 |first1=Alan |last1=Brown |first2=Gabriele |website=RSSSF |last2=Tossani}} The match counted for both the 1953–54 British Home Championship and 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification.
He moved to English club Sunderland in January 1955 for £20,000 (plus Tommy Wright in exchange) where he remained for three seasons. He moved to Bath City in 1958 and scored 206 goals for Bath until his departure in 1966, making him the club's all-time record goal scorer. At Bath City he signed his ex-East Fife teammate, Bobby Black. In 1964, he played in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League with Toronto City.{{Cite book|last=Jose|first=Colin|title=On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario|publisher=Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum|year=2001|location=Vaughan, Ontario|pages=202}}
External links
- {{SFA profile}}
- {{NeilBrownPlayers|player1/charliefleming}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Scottish First Division top scorers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Charlie}}
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Bath City F.C. managers
Category:Bath City F.C. players
Category:East Fife F.C. players
Category:Scotland men's international footballers
Category:Scottish Football League players
Category:Scottish football managers
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Scottish league football top scorers
Category:Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League players
Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players
Category:Footballers from Fife