Fred Durrant

Frederick Harry Durrant (19 June 1921 – 5 March 2010) was an English professional football forward and manager who played in the Football League, most notably for Queens Park Rangers. He later played for and managed non-League club Dover.

Fred Durrant
Personal information
Full name Frederick Harry Durrant[1]
Date of birth (1921-06-19)19 June 1921
Place of birth Dover, England
Date of death 5 March 2010(2010-03-05) (aged 88)[1]
Place of death Dover, England
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1938 Folkestone
1938–1946 Brentford 4 (3)
→ Aldershot (guest)
→ Blackburn Rovers (guest)
1946–1949 Queens Park Rangers 51 (26)
1949–1950 Exeter City 17 (5)
1950–1952 Dover
Teams managed
1950–1957 Dover
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Brentford

A centre forward, Durrant began his career at Southern League club Folkestone,[2] before signing for First Division club Brentford on his 17th birthday in 1938.[3] He failed to make a first team appearance before the outbreak of the Second World War the following year saw competitive football suspended.[4] Durrant made wartime appearances for the Bees and guested for Aldershot and Blackburn Rovers.[3][4] Durrant finally made his competitive debut for the club in the 1945–46 season and scored in a 2–2 FA Cup third round first leg draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 5 January 1946.[4] He scored three further goals in the competition and finished the season with four goals from six appearances.[4]

Durrant made his Football League debut in a First Division match versus Blackpool on 2 September 1946 and scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw.[4] He made the headlines in the following game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, when he left the pitch during the first half with concussion, before returning for the second half and scoring two goals in a 2–1 win.[3][4] Soon afterwards, he was surprisingly transferred by manager Harry Curtis.[3] Durrant scored seven goals in 10 competitive appearances for the Bees.[3] At the time of his death in March 2010, Durrant was Brentford's oldest-living player.[2]

Queens Park Rangers

Durrant joined Third Division South club Queens Park Rangers in late September 1946, for a then-record £4,500 fee.[3] With the club's regular centre forwards away on army duty, Durrant was signed to bolster the high-flying club's frontline.[5] Denied promotion with a second-place finish during the 1946–47 season, Durrant finally won the first silverware of his career when Rangers won the 1947–48 Third Division South championship.[6] Durrant departed Loftus Road in February 1949 and scored 26 goals in 53 appearances for the club.[5]

Exeter City

Durrant signed for Third Division South club Exeter City in February 1949, for a then-club record £5,000.[3] In an injury-affected spell, he managed 5 goals in 17 league appearances, before retiring from league football in 1950.[7]

Dover

Durrant ended his career with Kent League First Division club Dover, for whom he played between 1950 and 1952.[3]

Management career

Durrant undertook a player-manager role upon joining Dover and remained in the role after retiring from playing.[8][9][10] He had a successful time with the club, winning the Kent League and Senior Cup double in the 1951–52 season and the Kent League Cup in 1956–57.[10][11][12]

Personal life

After football, Durrant settled in Dover and ran a cafe.[2]

Honours

As a player

Queens Park Rangers

Dover

As a manager

Dover

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1945–46[4] — 6 4 6 4
1946–47[4] First Division 4 3 — 4 3
Total 4 3 6 4 10 7
Queens Park Rangers 1946–47[15] Third Division South 22 14 0 0 22 14
1947–48[6] 27 12 0 0 27 12
1948–49[16] Second Division 2 0 2 0 4 0
Total 51 26 2 0 53 26
Exeter City 1948–49[7] Third Division South 13 4 — 13 4
1949–50[7] 4 1 0 0 4 1
Total 17 5 0 0 17 5
Career total 72 34 8 4 80 38

References
  1. "Fred Durrant". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  2. "Fred Durrant RIP". 7 March 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 51. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  4. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 375–379. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. "In Memory Of Fred Durrant". Independent Rs. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  6. "Seasonal Stats – Files – 1947–48". QPRnet. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  7. "Durrant, Frederick". The Grecian Archive. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  8. "Three Cups Pubs of Dover". dover-kent.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  9. "Red Lion (Charlton) Pubs of Dover". dover-kent.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  10. "The 1956–57 Team in May". doverteamphotos.tripod.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. "The 1951–52 team". doverteamphotos.tripod.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  12. Dover F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  13. "The History of Dover Football Club". talesftre.tripod.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  14. "The 1950–51 team". doverteamphotos.tripod.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  15. "Seasonal Stats – Files – 1946–47". QPRnet. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  16. "Seasonal Stats – Files – 1948–49". QPRnet. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
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