Avery Osmond

DOB: 25th December 1924

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1951/52

Season of last appearance: 1954/55

Full Appearances: 51

Substitute: 0

Goals: 22

Also played for:

Peterborough United, Southend United (2,0), Folkestone Town, Betteshanger Colliery Welfare, Deal Town, Canterbury City and Ashford Town.

Player Profile:

Huddersfield-born player christened Avery Noel Osmond as he was born on Christmas Day who was widely known as 'Ossie'.

He started his career with Peterborough who were in the Midland League at the time and Ossie made his first team debut for the Posh in a 4-0 defeat at Bradford Park Avenue Reserves on 21.9.46. He was in and out of the senior side after that and scored his first goal in a 2-2 draw with visitors Scarborough on 1.3.47. By the end of the 1946/47 season Ossie had managed two goal from 13 appearances.

During 1947/48 he made a further 17 first team appearances for Peterborough and scored once.

In May 1948 Ossie joined Southend where he made two senior appearances during 1948/49.

Ossie then dropped into non-league football and played for Folkestone during 1949/50.

He spent the 1950/51 season as player-manager at Betteshanger and then had a short spell with Deal before joining Margate in February 1952.

Ossie made an excellent start to his Margate career, scoring nine goals in as many appearances before the end of the 1951/52 season. His tally included two goals on his debut - a 3-0 win over Sittingbourne in a Kent League game at Hartsdown Park on 23.2.52 - and a hat-trick in a 6-2 win at Bowaters Lloyd on 19.4.52.

Ossie was in and out of the Margate side during 1952/53 but still made 14 appearances and scored five times, including a hat-trick in an 8-0 home win over Bexleyheath & Welling on 6.9.52.

During the 1953/54 season Ossie spent a lot of time in the reserves and scored 13 times for them. He only made 13 first team appearances and scored three times. His goals included one in the 5-0 Kent League Cup Final Replay win over Canterbury at Hartsdown Park on 6.5.54.

It was a similar story for Ossie during the 1954/55 season, he made sporadic first team appearances and scored five times in 15 games but spent much of the campaign in the reserves, scoring six goals for them.

In the summer of 1955 Ossie moved to Canterbury before joining Ashford in February 1957.

In 1963 he emigrated to New Zealand and Ossie then spent a year in Australia before returning to New Zealand permanently. He initially worked as a hosiery engineer before becoming a security guard in later years.

Ossie died on 6.6.99 in Wellington, New Zealand at the age of 74.