Blast from The Past: On This Day 1908 – Clarrie, CCFC’s Goal Machine Becomes A Bristol Bourton Babe

As that wonderful CCFC book of memories by CCFC author Steve Phelps ‘Coventry City – On This Day‘ reminds us the club’s greatest ever goalscorer was born one hundred and sixteen years ago today!

On 30th September 1908 our all time record goalscorer Clarrie Bourton was born in Paulton, near Bristol. His dad was a boot-maker who made his son’s footwear when a schoolboy with Paulton Wesleyans FC (1924) and Paulton United. (1926).

A printer by trade, he joined Bristol City in January 1927 but only got a lone goal in his four first team outings before Blackburn Rovers spotted his potential, signing him for £3700 in May 1928. A total of 42 goals in 72 appearances was Clarrie’s reward for the Ewood Park side before CCFC legendary ‘gaffer’ Harry Storer signed him for £750 in July 1931.

Clarrie the CCFC goal machine

The Bristolian totalled an amazing 182 goals in 241 first-team league and F.A.Cup appearances plus seven in nine in the Division Three South Cup –  a feat most unlikely to be surpassed in the current game.

His six seasons with the CCFC saw successive league tallies, in our Division Three South years, of 50, 43, 25, 29 and 26 goals rattled in plus another nine in our 1936-37 Division Two season before Clarrie moved on to Plymouth Argyle in October 1937 for a club record fee.

Clarrie, along with the likes of Jock Lauderdale, Billy Lake, Arthur ‘Rasher’ Bacon, Les Jones and George McNestry, was a substantial component of a Coventry City scoring purple patch (especially at Highfield Road).  During his time with the City from 1931-37 we scored a total of 577 league goals of which 173 came from Clarrie’s head and feet.

Clarrie finished his career back in his home town with Bristol City, eventually as player-manager, until retirement in July 1944 whence he worked being a printer’s representative and kept his Ashton Gate connection working in their pools office and until his death age 72 in April 1981. 

Clarrie still also shares a CCFC record with ‘Rasher’ Bacon and our late CCFPA member Cyrille Regis of scoring five goals in a game (in the 6-1 win over Bournemouth in October 1931)!

No wonder former CCFPA chairman Jim Brown‘s email ‘monniker’ is clarriebourton@ gmail.com!

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the graphic and images.