WALLY BELLETT

Full Name: Walter Ronald Bellett

Born: 14 November 1933

Came from: Chelsea   Went to: Leyton Orient

First game: 20 December 1958   Last game: 09 January 1960

Appearances: 43 (43/0)   Goals: 1

Born in Stratford, then in Essex but now part of modern-day east London, he started out in non-league football, first with Chelmsford City and then with Barking. He was signed by top-flight Chelsea under Ted Drake in September 1954, at the start of their Football League Championship-winning season. Like his fellow Barking team-mate Len Casey, who had also made the same move, he did not feature in the title-winning side and had to wait until the following season for his debut, at left-back in a 2-2 draw at Manchester City.

His home debut came during a run in the side at the start of the following season. It was during that game, a 1-0 win over Preston North End in August 1956, that the iconic 'splash' photograph of Tom Finney sliding on a waterlogged Stamford Bridge pitch was taken. Bellett was tackling Finney, and the resulting splash almost entirely concealed him from view, but Finney remained unperturbed and maintained possession of the ball. The image was later named Sports Photograph of the Year and inspired a statue and fountain outside Preston's Deepdale ground.

In total, he played 35 times and scored once for Chelsea, and won an England Youth international cap while at the club.

He was then brought to Home Park by Jack Rowley, alongside Chelsea team-mate Len Casey, in a combined deal worth £12,000. The pair were signed to provide a boost to Argyle's 1958-59 promotion campaign, and Bellett was virtually ever-present for the remainder of the season as the Pilgrims won the Division Three title.

He briefly hit the headlines when, after scoring four goals as a centre-forward in a reserve game, chairman Ron Blindell insisted that he should be given the number 9 shirt against West Bromwich Albion in an FA Cup tie. The experiment was not a success.

After making 43 appearances and scoring once for Argyle, he was released in 1960 and briefly re-joined his first club, non-league Chelmsford City. Although he briefly dropped out of professional football on his return to Chelmsford, he was soon back in the Football League, spending relatively short spells at Leyton Orient (1960-61, with no appearances recorded), Chester City (1961-62, 12 appearances and one goal), Wrexham (1962-63, two appearances) and Tranmere Rovers (1963-64, with no appearances recorded).

Having left Prenton Park, he returned to the south-east in 1964 and turned out for Gravesend & Northfleet, the club now known as Ebbsfleet United, between 1964 and 1966. He then moved to Canvey Island, where he enjoyed a lengthy playing and coaching stint between 1966 and 1974.

Outside football, he worked as a car mechanic and lorry driver. He remained living locally in Essex and passed away on Canvey Island in November 2022, aged 88.