Chris Bertchin

DOB: 7th September 1924

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1952/53

Season of last appearance: 1953/54

Full Appearances: 35

Substitute: 0

Goals: 18

Also played for:

Ilford, Reading (16,2), Snowdown Colliery Welfare, Canterbury City, Ashford Town, Tunbridge Wells United, Chatham Town, Whitstable Town and Deal Town.

Player Profile:

6' 0" tall nomadic pacy forward born in Kensington, London who started his career with Ilford as a 17 year-old. Chris had two spells with the club, split by his National Service in the Navy, before joining Reading in August 1947.

He made 16 first team appearances in three seasons at Elm Park before dropping back into non-league football.

Chris joined Snowdown for the 1950/51 season and scored twice on his debut for them in a Kent League game at Faversham on 19.8.50. He also spent 1951/52 with the colliery side and scored 22 goals during the season.

Chris joined Margate from Snowdown in June 1952 and made his debut in a 2-0 win over Whitstable at Hartsdown Park on 28.8.52. It was the opening day of the 1952/53 campaign. He went on to score nine times in 24 appearances during the season before breaking his leg in a match against Ramsgate in April 1953.

Having recovered from his injury Chris returned to first team action in October 1953. His comeback could hardly have been more impressive as in only his second match he scored five times in a 7-1 win over Faversham. However Chris was then troubled by other knocks and was in and out of the side during the following months, making a total of 11 appearances and scoring nine times.

In January 1954 he was sold to Canterbury for a 'substantial' fee - a rarity at the time - and in May 1954 Chris scored the goal that won the Kent Senior Cup for City, his strike clinching a 1-0 win over Tunbridge Wells in the final at Gillingham.

In January 1955 Chris moved on to Ashford and when they visited Margate for a Kent League game on 12.2.55 the 'Club Notes' in the match programme referred to Chris as "Smiler". The author, club secretary Alan Kay, wrote "we hope that he still hasn't lost the knack of slicing one or two shots wide !"

In December 1955 Chris joined Tunbridge Wells and he then spent the 1956/57 season with Chatham.

In August 1957 he linked up with Whitstable before moving to Deal where he spent the 1958/59 season.

He died in 1995.