Ted Bennett (footballer)
{{Short description|English footballer (1925–2018)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ted Bennett
| image =
| fullname = Edward Ernest Bennett
| birth_date = 22 August 1925
| birth_place = Kilburn, London, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|8|23|1925|8|22|df=y}}
| height =
| position = Goalkeeper
| youthyears1 = 1945
| youthclubs1 = Willesden
| years1 = 1947–1949
| clubs1 = QPR
| caps1 = 2
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1949–1953
| clubs2 = Southall
| caps2 =
| goals2 = 2
| years3 = 1953–1956
| clubs3 = Watford
| caps3 = 81
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1956–1957
| clubs4 = Gravesend & Northfleet
| caps4 = 10
| goals4 = 0
| totalcaps =
| totalgoals =
| nationalyears1 = 1952–1953
| nationalteam1 = England amateur
| nationalcaps1 = 11
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1952
| nationalteam2 = Great Britain
| nationalcaps2 = 1
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| medaltemplates =
}}
Edward Ernest Bennett (22 August 1925 – 23 August 2018) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/25196 |title=Ted Bennett |work=Olympedia |access-date=12 November 2021}} He competed for Great Britain at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Career
Born in Kilburn, Middlesex, Bennett started playing competitive football as an amateur for Southall, who competed in the Athenian League. He joined Football League side QPR in 1949,Jones p. 39 and made two first team appearances. In a league where most players were professional, Bennett remained an amateur. This enabled him to play eleven times for England at amateur level, and to keep goal for Great Britain at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.Jones p. 292 Great Britain were eliminated 5–3 in the preliminary round by Luxembourg after extra time, in a match that finished 1–1 after 90 minutes.
After a brief return to Southall, Bennett signed on professional terms for Watford in December 1953. He replaced Dave Underwood, who had been sold to Liverpool for £5,000 earlier that month. At the time, this was the highest transfer fee Watford had ever received.Jones p. 230 Bennett played 86 of Watford's next 87 games, before a finger injury ended his Football League career in 1955. He was sold to Gravesend and Northfleet of the Southern Football League in September 1956 for a nominal transfer fee.
References
;General
- {{cite book|title=The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|author=Jones, Trefor|year=1996|isbn= 0-9527458-0-1}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041024/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/ted-bennett-1.html Ted Bennett's profile at Sports Reference.com]
;Specific
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197058/matches/match=32375/report.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616110130/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197058/matches/match=32375/report.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 June 2008|title=Olympic football tournament Helsinki 1952|publisher=FIFA|accessdate=2 March 2010}}
}}
{{Great Britain Squad 1952 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Ted}}
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:Ebbsfleet United F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic footballers for Great Britain
Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Brent
Category:People from Kilburn, London
Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
Category:Southall F.C. players