Peter Peters

DOB: 1st January 1926

Position: Goalkeeper

Season of first appearance: 1952/53

Season of last appearance: 1957/58

Full Appearances: 211

Substitute: 0

Goals: 0

Clean Sheets: 52

Also played for:

Reading (1,0), Canterbury City, West Ham United (0), Headington United.

Player Profile:

6' 0" tall keeper who was born in Australia but moved to Britain aged four.

Peter began his career with Reading and during 1945/46 he made two wartime league appearances for them and played once in the FA Cup.

In 1947 he joined Canterbury due to his army unit being stationed in the city and, in January 1949, Peter was transferred to West Ham for a fee of £500.

He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Hammers but never made a first-team appearance and in the summer of 1952 Peter joined Margate.

He made his debut in a 2-0 win over Whitstable in the Kent League at Hartsdown Park on 28.8.52 and went on to make 31 appearances during 1952/53. Peter was almost ever-present until early April before 'flu and then a thigh injury broke his run. On 9.5.53, he was part of the side that drew 1-1 with visitors Folkestone to share the Kent Senior Shield.

During the 1953/54 season, Peter gained rave reviews for his performances and was virtually ever-present, making 38 appearances. The local press referred to him as a "wonder keeper" and, on 6.5.54, he was part of the side that beat Canterbury 5-0 at Hartsdown Park to win the Kent League Cup.

Peter continued to be Margate's undisputed first-choice keeper during the 1954/55 season and clocked up another 40 appearances to go past 100 for the club. He also moved house during the season, leaving his Westgate home to live in Reading. A full-length diving save in an FA Cup tie against Tonbridge was described as being "one of the best saves of his career" by the local press but Peter also endured a loss of form halfway through the season and was replaced by Des Cross for a spell. That was during January 1955 but, by March, Peter was back in the first-team and held his place for the rest of the campaign.

During the 1955/56 season, Peter was an ever-present in the Margate side and made a total of 45 appearances. On 1.10.55, he was stretchered off during a 2-1 defeat at Snowdown and, on 19.11.55, Peter was in the Margate side that drew 2-2 with Walsall at Hartsdown Park in the FA Cup 1st Round. He also played in the replay at Walsall on 24.11.55 that the home side won 6-1. A local press match report during the campaign said that Peter "leapt like a deer".

The following season saw him retain his position as first-choice keeper for the fifth consecutive campaign. Peter made a total of 42 appearances during 1956/57 and, on 17.11.56, he was part of the Margate side that beat Dunstable 3-1 at Hartsdown Park in the FA Cup 1st Round. He also played in a 4-0 defeat at Millwall in the 2nd Round on 8.12.56. Later in December 1956, Peter was dropped to the reserves for a spell and replaced by Lennie Long.

In total, Peter missed five games before being restored to the first team on 2.2.57 as Margate beat visitors Ashford 2-1. He then held his place for the remainder of the season and suffered a broken nose during the campaign.

The 1957/58 season turned out to be Peter's last with Margate. He started the campaign as first-choice and was carried off unconscious late in a 1-0 win over Ramsgate at Hartsdown Park on 31.8.57. However, some of his performances were decidedly shaky and the local press described him as being "a strange mixture of brilliance and uncertainty" at one stage. On 16.11.57, he played as Margate lost 3-2 to visitors Crystal Palace in the FA Cup 1st Round but, towards the end of November 1957, Peter was dropped to the reserves and manager Almer Hall made a point of saying that he felt Peter was having trouble dealing with crosses. John Prodger took his place in the first-team.

Peter did return to the first-team for a one-off appearance away to Sheppey on Christmas Day 1957 and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw but it turned out to be his final game for the club. Prodger made the first-team spot his own and, in February 1958, Peter joined Headington having made 15 appearances during 1957/58 and 211 in total. He was rated at the time as the best keeper Margate had ever had and Hall described Peter as "a grand fellow".

In 1962, Peter emigrated to Australia and he shared a name with a Margate winger who joined the club in the season after his departure. Peter worked as a carpenter during his time with Margate.