*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Ken Bracewell
Appearances: 63 Goals: 8
Date / Year of birth: 5th October 1936
Position: Right-back
Season of first appearance: 1965/66
Season of last appearance: 1965/66
Also played for: Trawden, Burnley (0), Tranmere Rovers (28,1), Nelson, Toronto Italia (Canada), Norwich City (0), Lincoln City (24,1), Bury (1,0), Toronto Falcons (Canada), Rochdale (5,0), Atlanta Chiefs (USA), Atlanta Apollos (USA) and Denver Dynamos (USA)
5' 11" tall, strong, mobile full-back born in Colne known for his 'thunderbolt' shots who started his career with non-league Trawden before joining Burnley in April 1957.
Ken never made the first team at Turf Moor and in May 1959 he joined Tranmere. He went on to make 28 senior appearances there during 1959/60 and 1960/61 before dropping back into non-league football to join Lancashire outfit Nelson.
Ken's next move took him to Canada where he played for Toronto Italia in the Canadian National Soccer League for a couple of seasons before returning to England.
He had a short spell at Norwich and then signed for Lincoln in November 1963. Ken went on to make 23 first team appearances for the Imps during the 1963/64 and 1964/65 seasons.
In the summer of 1965 Ken joined Margate from Lincoln and manager Almer Halll was quoted as saying "I think he is going to be a great favourite." Ken made his debut in a 2-2 draw at Guildford on 21.8.65 and went on to be virtually ever-present, making 63 appearances and scoring eight goals - an excellent tally for a full-back. His intelligent play and willingness to get forward marked him out as one of Margate's outstanding players. Ken's first goal for the club came in a 4-3 win over Folkestone at Hartsdown Park on 23.8.65 and the local paper described it as being a "picture book volley". He then scored twice in a 3-1 win over Nuneaton on 13.11.65, one a trademark 'cannon ball' effort.
Ken's attacking prowess led to him being moved into the forward line for a home game against Rugby on 11.12.65. He played well and scored but Margate lost 5-1 and the experiment was not repeated. He then continued to be a model of consistency at right-back before leaving the club just before the end of the season, shortly before Margate were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division. Ken's contract was cancelled by mutual consent so that he could return to Canada to play and during his time at Hartsdown Park he'd run a window cleaning business with Tommy Marshall.
Ken played for Toronto Italia again during the summer of 1966 and then returned to England once more in December 1966. He spent a few months with Bury before going back to Canada where he made 20 appearances for Toronto Falcons in the 1967 season - the first in the history of the North American Soccer League (NASL).
By March 1968 Ken was back in England and he linked up with Rochdale for the closing weeks of the 1967/68 campaign. He made five first team appearances and they were his last in English football.
He rejoined Toronto Falcons for the 1968 NASL season and played 27 times for them. Ken then moved on to Atlanta Chiefs for the 1969 NASL campaign.
He went on to make over 60 appearances for the Chiefs between 1969 and 1972 before the club changed its name to Atlanta Apollos for the 1973 season.
Ken became the Apollos' player-coach (player-manager) and played 12 games for the club in 1973.
He joined Denver Dynamos as player-coach for the 1974 season and made the last three appearances of his NASL career there.
He later coached Oakland Stompers during the 1978 campaign and Ken was in charge of San Francisco Scots in 1983.
He eventually returned to England in 1984 when Californian lawyer Bruce Osterman bought Tranmere Rovers and installed Ken as Chief Executive and Vice Chairman. But things didn't work out at Tranmere and Ken returned to North California to coach in 1985.
In 1991 he returned to England for good after breaking his collarbone during the San Francisco earthquake that year. Ken had had to pay the ambulance service $583 for transporting him nine miles.
He later got involved with his hometown club Colne and was part of their committee when he had a two week spell as caretaker manager in October 1996.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1965/66 (MFC) |
63 (67) |
N/A |
8 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (22ND OF 22) |
1QR |
2R |
SF |
RU |
SF |
| Margate relegated to Division One. | |||||||||