Len Worley
Encyclopedia
Leonard Francis 'Len' Worley (born 26 June 1937 in Chalfont St Peter
) is a former amateur
footballer
who played for Wycombe Wanderers
, Charlton Athletic
, Tottenham Hotspur
, Chesham, Wealdstone
, Slough Town
, Hayes
and represented England at amateur level on seven occasions.
of amateur football " and dedicated much of his career to the Buckinghamshire
club. Like his namesake his dribbling
skills coupled with accurate crosses
helped the club to two Isthmian League
titles in 1955–56 and 1956–57. His two goal display in the FA Amateur Cup
semi-final at Highbury
took the Loakes Park
club to the 1956–57 final. Worley joined Charlton Athletic as an amateur in October 1956 and played one senior match for the Valley based team. He returned to Wycombe Wanderers before joining Tottenham Hotspur. Worley made one one appearance for the Spurs in a 3-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday
at Hillsborough
on October 17, 1959 when he replaced Terry Medwin
who was on international duty for Wales
. The White Hart Lane
club offered him a professional contract in 1959 which the steadfast player refused. In a career that spanned 15 years in which he suffered two broken legs, Worley made 512 appearances and scored 67 goals. He finally left the Chairboys in 1969. Worley continued to play as an amateur with spells at Chesham, Wealdstone, Slough and Hayes before retiring from competitive football in the mid 1970s.
player in the Bucks area. He became a property developer and owned a sports shop. Worley is a regular visitor to Adams Park
home of Wycombe Wanderers.
Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is...
) is a former amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played for Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
, Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, Chesham, Wealdstone
Wealdstone F.C.
Wealdstone Football Club are an English semi-professional football club who formed in Wealdstone, in the London Borough of Harrow, but are currently based a few miles away in Ruislip, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. At present, the club are members of the Isthmian League Premier Division. They...
, Slough Town
Slough Town F.C.
Slough Town F.C. is an English semi-professional football club. The club was officially founded in 1890 after the amalgamation of three local clubs, Swifts, Slough Albion and Young Men's Friendly Society, who between them forged a new club, Slough F.C....
, Hayes
Hayes F.C.
Hayes F.C. was an English football club based in Hayes, in Greater London. The club started out as Botwell Mission in 1909 taking its present name in 1929. The team nickname, The Missioners was a salute to the history of the team. The club played in the Conference South for their last few seasons...
and represented England at amateur level on seven occasions.
Playing career
Worley began his career with Wycombe Wanderers as a sixteen year old in 1954. The right winger became known as the "Stanley MatthewsStanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
of amateur football " and dedicated much of his career to the Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
club. Like his namesake his dribbling
Dribbling
In sports, dribbling refers to the maneuvering of a ball around a defender through short skillful taps or kicks with either the legs , hands , stick or swimming strokes...
skills coupled with accurate crosses
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
helped the club to two Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
titles in 1955–56 and 1956–57. His two goal display in the FA Amateur Cup
FA Amateur Cup
The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when The Football Association abolished official amateur status.-History:...
semi-final at Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
took the Loakes Park
Loakes Park
Loakes Park was the home of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club from 1895 to 1990. It was located next to Wycombe General Hospital in the centre of High Wycombe, UK...
club to the 1956–57 final. Worley joined Charlton Athletic as an amateur in October 1956 and played one senior match for the Valley based team. He returned to Wycombe Wanderers before joining Tottenham Hotspur. Worley made one one appearance for the Spurs in a 3-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
on October 17, 1959 when he replaced Terry Medwin
Terry Medwin
Terence "Terry" Cameron Medwin is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a winger.He made his debut for his home-town team Swansea Town in 1951-52 and went on to make 148 Football League appearances for the Swans.Medwin moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £25,000 in May 1956, and played...
who was on international duty for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. The White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
club offered him a professional contract in 1959 which the steadfast player refused. In a career that spanned 15 years in which he suffered two broken legs, Worley made 512 appearances and scored 67 goals. He finally left the Chairboys in 1969. Worley continued to play as an amateur with spells at Chesham, Wealdstone, Slough and Hayes before retiring from competitive football in the mid 1970s.
Post–football career
After retirement Worley kept his football interest by turning out for his local club Chalfont. He is also a keen tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player in the Bucks area. He became a property developer and owned a sports shop. Worley is a regular visitor to Adams Park
Adams Park
Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...
home of Wycombe Wanderers.