Horace Cumner
Reginald Horace Cumner (31 March 1918 – 18 January 1999) was a Wales international footballer. A forward, he played for Arsenal, Margate, Hull City, Notts County, Watford, Scunthorpe United, Bradford City, Poole Town, and Bridport. He won three international caps in the 1939 British Home Championship, scoring one goal.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Reginald Horace Cumner[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 March 1918[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cwmaman, Aberdare, Wales[1] | ||
| Date of death | 18 January 1999 (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Poole, Dorset, England | ||
| Position(s) | Outside-left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Aberaman Athletic | |||
| 1935–1936 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1936–1946 | Arsenal | 14 | (3) |
| 1936–1938 | → Margate (loan) | ||
| 1938 | → Hull City (loan) | 12 | (4) |
| 1946–1948 | Notts County | 66 | (11) |
| 1948–1950 | Watford | 62 | (7) |
| 1950–1953 | Scunthorpe United | 102 | (21) |
| 1953–1954 | Bradford City | 0 | (0) |
| 1954–1955 | Poole Town | ||
| 1955–1957 | Bridport | ||
| Swanage Town | |||
| Total | 256+ | (46+) | |
| International career | |||
| 1939 | Wales | 3 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Cumner moved from Aberaman Athletic to Arsenal. He was loaned out to Margate and Hull City.[2] He played for Arsenal in the 1938 FA Charity Shield at Highbury, which ended in a 2–1 victory over Preston North End.[3] During World War II he guested for Cardiff City, Fulham, Greenock Morton, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Swansea Town, Aberaman Athletic, Port Vale, Clapton Orient and Plymouth Argyle.[1][4][5] He suffered severe burns during the war whilst on service for the Royal Marines.[6]
In August 1946, he signed for Notts County in part-exchange for Ian McPherson. He helped the Magpies to 12th and sixth place in the Third Division South in 1946–47 and 1947–48. He left Meadow Lane and switched to league rivals Watford. He helped Eddie Hapgood's "Hornets" to finish 17th in 1948–49 and sixth in 1949–50.
After departing Vicarage Road, he joined Leslie Jones's Scunthorpe United. He helped the "Iron" to mid-table finishes in the Third Division North in 1950–51, 1951–52, and 1952–53. He never played another game in the Football League after leaving the Old Showground, as he was signed to Ivor Powell's Bradford City, but never got onto the pitch at Valley Parade.[2] He later moved into non-League football with Poole Town (Western League), Bridport (Dorset Combination), and Swanage Town.[4]
International career
Cumner earned three full caps for Wales,[2] and scored in the 1938–39 British Home Championship 3–1 defeat of Ireland.
Career statistics
Source:[7]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Arsenal | 1935–36 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936–37 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1937–38 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1938–39 | First Division | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | ||
| Hull City (loan) | 1937–38 | Third Division North | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| Notts County | 1946–47 | Third Division South | 35 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 6 |
| 1947–48 | Third Division South | 31 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 36 | 7 | |
| Total | 66 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 74 | 13 | ||
| Watford | 1948–49 | Third Division South | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 5 |
| 1949–50 | Third Division South | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 1950–51 | Third Division South | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 66 | 7 | ||
| Scunthorpe United | 1950–51 | Third Division North | 35 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 10 |
| 1951–52 | Third Division North | 44 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 11 | |
| 1952–53 | Third Division North | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 102 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 106 | 21 | ||
| Bradford City | 1953–54 | Third Division North | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 254 | 45 | 17 | 3 | 271 | 48 | ||
References
- Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 73. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 66. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- "1938/39 F.A. Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- "Reg Cumner". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Matthews, Tony (2007). Who's who of Arsenal. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 9781845962326. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- Horace Cumner at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)