Verdi Godwin

Verdi Godwin
Personal information
Full name Verdi Godwin[1]
Date of birth (1926-02-11)11 February 1926[1]
Place of birth Blackburn, England[1]
Date of death 1 December 2013(2013-12-01) (aged 87)[2]
Place of death Southport, England
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1948 Blackburn Rovers 27 (6)
1948–1949 Manchester City 8 (3)
1949–1950 Stoke City 22 (2)
1950–1951 Mansfield Town 31 (9)
1951–1952 Middlesbrough 0 (0)
1952 Grimsby Town 1 (0)
1953 Brentford 7 (1)
1954–1955 Southport 17 (2)
1955–1956 Barrow 15 (3)
1956–1957 Tranmere Rovers 14 (2)
1958–1959 Macclesfield Town 3 (0)
Total 146 (28)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Verdi Godwin BEM (11 February 1926 – 1 December 2013) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Mansfield Town, Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town, Brentford and Stoke City. After retiring as a player, he worked as a scout.[3]

Career

Godwin was born in Blackburn and began his career with local club Blackburn Rovers.[1] He scored six league goals in two seasons at Ewood Park and joined Manchester City in June 1948.[4] He scored three goals in eight matches for City before joining Stoke City,[5] whose manager Bob McGrory saw Godwin as the answer to Stoke's goalscoring problem in 1949–50.[1] However, despite scoring on his debut, Godwin scored just once more in the next 20 league matches and by January he was transferred to Third Division Mansfield Town in part-exchange for Harry Oscroft.[1] Following his spell with the Stags, Godwin became a journeyman and spent short spells with Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town, Brentford, Southport, Barrow, Tranmere Rovers and finally Macclesfield.[1][6]

Personal life

After retiring from football, Godwin worked during the summer for 36 years as a lifeguard on Southport beach.[7] He was awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition of his service.[7]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Blackburn Rovers 1946–47[8] First Division 15 1 0 0 15 1
1947–48[8] 12 5 0 0 12 5
Total 27 6 0 0 27 6
Manchester City 1948–49[5] First Division 8 3 0 0 8 3
Stoke City 1949–50[8] First Division 22 2 1 0 23 2
Mansfield Town 1949–50[8] Third Division North 17 7 — 17 7
1950–51[8] 14 2 0 0 14 2
Total 31 9 0 0 31 9
Grimsby Town 1951–52[8] Third Division North 1 0 0 0 1 0
Brentford 1951–52[9] Second Division 1 0 — 1 0
1952–53[9] 6 1 0 0 6 1
1953–54[9] 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 7 1 0 0 7 1
Southport 1954–55[10] Third Division North 17 2 0 0 17 2
Barrow 1955–56[8] Third Division North 15 3 1 1 16 4
Tranmere Rovers 1955–56[8] Third Division North 14 2 — 14 2
Macclesfield 1958–59[6] Cheshire County League 3 0 1 0 4 0
Career Total 145 28 3 1 148 29

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ^ "R.I.P Verdi Godwin (Southport)". OTSNews. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Player Details". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Verdi Godwin". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Verdi Godwin – Manchester City Player Statistics". StatCity. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Season Statistics – Cheshire League – 1958–59". www.silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  7. ^ a b Brentford Football Club Official Programme versus Brighton & Hove Albion. 10 February 2007. p. 39.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Verdi Godwin at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  9. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 381–382. ISBN 0951526200.
  10. ^ "Player Details". Port Online. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  • Verdi Godwin at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database