| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clarence Frederick Thomas Bourton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1908-09-30)30 September 1908 | ||
| Place of birth | Paulton, England | ||
| Date of death | 1981 (aged 72–73) | ||
| Height | 5 ft9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1928 | Bristol City | 4 | (1) |
| 1928–1931 | Blackburn Rovers | 63 | (37) |
| 1931–1937 | Coventry City | 228 | (173) |
| 1937–1938 | Plymouth Argyle | 8 | (3) |
| 1938–1939 | Bristol City | 57 | (14) |
| Total | 360 | (228) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1938–1939 | Bristol City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Clarence Frederick Thomas"Clarrie" Bourton (30 September 1908 – 1981) was an Englishfootballer who played inthe Football League forBristol City,Blackburn Rovers,Coventry City andPlymouth Argyle. He is Coventry City's all-time leading goalscorer with 182 goals.[3]
Born inPaulton, Bourton was a primarily acentre forward, but could also play as aninside forward.[1] He played non-league football for Paulton United before being signed byBristol City, making his debut inthe Football League in April 1928. He scored one goal in four appearances towards the end of the1927–28 season.[1] That summer he was transferred toFA Cup holdersBlackburn Rovers and scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw at home toBury. Bourton scored six goals in his first four matches, including all four in a 4–1 win againstManchester United atOld Trafford, and finished the season with 15 goals in 34 league and cup games as the club finished seventh in theFirst Division, which was their best since theFirst World War.[4] He lost his place in the team toLes Bruton at the start of the following campaign, however he returned on Christmas Day 1929 to score in a 5–3 win againstSunderland and finished the season with 23 goals in 26 games, including four in a 7–5 win againstSheffield United atBramall Lane.[4] Rovers finished sixth in the league. In his last season atEwood Park, he scored four goals in 11 matches.[4]
Harry Storer was appointedCoventry City manager in April 1931 and, having noticed him while Storer played forBurnley, Bourton joined the club ahead of the1931–32 season.[4] He finished as the Football League's top goalscorer that season, having found the net 49 times in theThird Division South, including sevenhat-tricks.[3] He scored 40 league goals the following season,[5] and received honours in 1936 when Coventry were promoted to theSecond Division as Third Division South champions. During his six seasons with the club, Coventry scored 577 league goals and Bourton contributed 173 of them in 228 appearances.[4] He was transferred to Second Division rivalsPlymouth Argyle at the age of 29.[1][6] His time with the club was brief. Bourton made his debut in October 1937 and scored three goals in nine league and cup appearances. He made the last of those appearances in January 1938 and then returned to Bristol City.[1][6]
He was appointed as the club'scaptain and in October filled in forBob Hewison asmanager.[7] Hewison was accused of making illegal payments to amateur players and was suspended until the end of the season after an inquiry bythe Football Association and the Football League. Bourton was manager for seven months and City finished eighth in Third Division South before Hewison returned in May 1939.[7] He scored 14 league goals in 57 appearances before theSecond World War brought his career to a premature end. He continued to work for the club after his retirement from playing and was employed in the pools office until shortly before his death in 1981.[3]