Pat Bland

Pat Bland
Personnel
Surname	George Patrick Bland
birthday	February 24, 1915
place of birth	Tutbury ,  England
date of death	June 1970
Place of death	Peterborough ,  England
position	goal
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
	Boston Ambulance
1933-1934	Benington
1934-1935	Spalding United
1935-1936	Horncastle Town
1936-1938	Lincoln City	1 (0)
1938	Bradford Park Avenue	0 (0)
1939-1946	Watford FC	0 (0)
1945-1946	Boston United	17 (0)
1946-1947	Ransome & Marles
1947–?	Spalding United
1 Only league games are given.

George Patrick "Pat" Bland (born February 24, 1915 in Tutbury , † June 1970 in Peterborough ) was an English football player .

Career

Bland came from a Boston sports family whose fifth oldest son he was; his father, Cyril, was a notable county cricketer. As goalkeeper Bland was from the early 1930s for a number of amateur clubs in space Lincolnshire active: in October 1931, he played in Boston Ambulance in Boston & District League , the season 1933/34 he spent in Benington , 1934, he joined Spalding United at and in 1935/36 he was the goalkeeper of the reserve team from Horncastle Town . The strong goalkeeper acquired a good reputation and came in May 1936 as a test player on the last match day of the 1935/36 season for the reserve team of the local professional club Lincoln City for use.

A little later he was initially committed on an amateur basis and was the first new commitment of the new coach Joe McClelland . In September 1936 he rose to professional at Lincoln, but behind the much more experienced goalkeeper Dan McPhail , Bland was only the goalkeeper in the reserve team. In the two years of his affiliation he was only used in November 1936 on the occasion of a home game in the Football League Third Division North against AFC Rochdale in the first team. In the 5-3 success, center forward Johnny Campbell scored all five of his team's goals, despite conceding three goals, the press lived for "not abandoning his team". At a Lincolnshire Echo cadre presentation in August 1937, Bland was characterized as follows: “Made excellent progress in the reserve. Well built and with good style, he's a daring goalkeeper and has a lot of guts. ”In May 1938 he moved to Bradford Park Avenue on a free transfer , for the club from the Second Division he remained limited to appearances in the reserve team behind Chick Farr resumed his contract after six months in mid-December 1938.

In mid-February 1939, following a one-month trial training session in the reserve team of Watford FC , he was signed. At Watford he was scheduled to replace Jock McHugh after previous goalkeeper Jim McLaren was injured in early January. Until the cessation of game operations by the outbreak of World War II , Bland stayed at Watford without being on the first team. Bland joined the Royal Air Force Physical Training College for instructors in early 1940 . In mid-1942 he was stationed in the Middle East , in September 1942 he was in the rank of flight sergeant in Cairo, where he also appeared for the United Services Cairo army football team . In September 1943 he returned to England on a hospital ship and was treated for diphtheria and typhus at the Royal Victoria Hospital .

In England, Bland only appeared in football in the 1939/40 season during the war, playing 13 times for Boston United in the substitute competitions of the Midland League . In the 1945/46 season, when the Football League was still inactive, he was active for several clubs. For Watford FC he played the first post-war game in November 1945, a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup 1945/46 against Southend United , in February 1946 he had an appearance as a guest player at Notts County and he guarded most of the season in the Midland League the goal, which was played again a year before the Football League. At the beginning of the season he played for Boston United, where his achievements were repeatedly praised by the press, including in August at the traditional club friendly at the start of the season: “Pat Bland, from Watford, showed some spectacular saves in goal, his only flaw is his Tendency to take unnecessary risks. ”And a month later:“ Bland has a gut feeling that is far beyond average, the word fear does not appear in his vocabulary. ”

After 17 league appearances for Boston, he joined the league rivals Ransome & Marles in early January 1946 , who offered a payment of £ 4 per game. The team, which in addition to Bland with Harry Parr , Les Bailey , Cliff Hubbard , Webber (Swindon Town) and George Richardson were numerous Football League professionals, missed the championship at the end of the season by one point behind Shrewsbury Town . In a 1-0 away win in front of 10,000 spectators against Shrewsbury, he was in goal for Ransome & Marles. For the 1946/47 season, the still officially registered player at Watford moved permanently to Ransome & Marles, from April 1947 he played again for Spalding United.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} BRIEFLETS . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , September 26, 1942, p. 5.  (paid link)
2. ↑ HAPPEENINGS OF THE WEEK . In: Boston Guardian , November 20, 1936, p. 11.  (paid link)
3. ^ BOSTON AND DISTRICT LEAGUE. Wright's v. Ambulance . In: Boston Guardian , October 31, 1931, p. 6.  (paid link)
4. ↑ FOOTBALL. . In: Boston Guardian , August 25, 1934, p. 7.  (paid link)
5. ↑ SPALDING UNITED FC Players Who Will Be On View To-Morrow . In: Boston Guardian , August 18, 1934, p. 15.  (paid link)
6. ↑ GRIMSBY TOWN TEAM AT HORNCASTLE . In: Lincolnshire Echo , April 23, 1936, p. 6.  (paid link)
7. ↑ CITY SIGN FIRST NEW PLAYER . In: Lincolnshire Echo , June 29, 1936, p. 6.  (paid link)
8. ^ Donald Nannestad, Ian Nannestad: Who's Who of Lincoln City, 1892-1994 . Yore Publications, Harefield 1994, ISBN 978-1-874427-90-2 , pp. 23 f .
9. ↑ CITY'S AMATEUR KEEPER TURNS PROFESSIONAL . In: Lincolnshire Echo , June 29, 1936, p. 6.  (paid link)
10. ↑ LINCOLN CITY WILL NEED THEIR BEST FORM. . In: Nottingham Evening Post , November 25, 1936, p. 11.  (paid link)
11. ↑ PEN PICTURES . In: Lincolnshire Echo , August 27, 1937, p. 8.  (link with costs)
12. ↑ BRADFORD'S NEW KEEPER . In: Leeds Mercury , May 13, 1938, p. 11.  (paid link)
13. ↑ cf. Malcolm Hartley, Tim Clapham: All About Avenue: The Definitive Bradford Park Avenue AFC . SoccerData, Nottingham 2004, ISBN 978-1-899468-21-8 , pp. 95 .
14. ↑ BRADFORD'S NEW LEFT WING . In: Yorkshire Evening Post , December 15, 1938, p. 9.  (paid link)
15. ↑ PAT BLAND MOVES. . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , February 18, 1939, p. 22.  (paid link)
16. ↑ ^{a b} watfordfcarchive.com: George Patrick BLAND (1945) Goalkeeper , accessed April 12, 2020
17. ↑ FOOTBALLERS JOIN UP . In: Boston Guardian , January 17, 1940, p. 10.  (paid link)
18. ↑ BOSTONIANS IN MIDDLE EAST. . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , July 4, 1942, p. 5.  (paid link)
19. ^ The "Crack" team . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , October 16, 1943, p. 5.  (paid link)
20. ↑ BRIEFLETS . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , October 16, 1943, p. 5.  (paid link)
21. ↑ bufc.drfox.org.uk: Boston United's Season 1939/40 , accessed August 18, 2020
22. ↑ cf. Tony Brown: The Official History, Notts County, 1862-1995 . Yore Publications, Harefield 1996, ISBN 978-1-874427-61-2 .
23. ↑ BOSTON UNITED . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , August 25, 1945, p. 7.  (paid link)
24. ^ WITH BOSTON UNITED . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , September 29, 1945, p. 7.  (paid link)
25. ↑ bufc.drfox.org.uk: Boston United's Season 1945/46 , accessed August 18, 2020
26. ^ WITH BOSTON UNITED . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , January 19, 1946, p. 7.  (paid link)
27. ↑ LEADERS AT LINCOLN . In: Lincolnshire Echo , April 5, 1946, p. 4.  (link with costs)
28. ^ WITH BOSTON UNITED . In: Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian , May 4, 1946, p. 7.  (paid link)
29. ^ From All Quarters . In: Grantham Journal , 23 August 1946, p. 7.  (paid link)
30. ↑ In a few lines . In: Grantham Journal , April 18, 1947, p. 7.  (paid link)