Ted Ballard

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ted Ballard


fullname = Edgar Albert Ballard
dateofbirth = birth date|1920|6|16|df=y
cityofbirth = Brentford
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = June 2008 (age 87)
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|ft=5|in=9
position = Full-back
currentclub =
youthyears =
youthclubs = Hayes
years = 1943–1946
1946–1947
1947–1952
1952–1953
1953–1956
clubs = Brentford
Leyton Orient
Southampton
Leyton Orient
Snowdown Colliery Welfare
caps(goals) = 000 0(0)
026 0(1)
045 0(0)
000 0(0)

nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 1958–1962
1962–1965
1965
managerclubs = Ashford Town
Hastings United
Hastings United

Edgar Albert "Ted" Ballard (16 June 1920 – June 2008) was an English former professional footballer who played as a full-back for Southampton in the late 1940s/early 1950s.

Playing career

Ballard was born in Brentford and spent the war years working in a munitions factory in Hayes, Middlesex. His birthplace was only 50 yards from Griffin Park and he played a few matches for Brentford's reserves before signing as a professional for Leyton Orient in April 1946. He spent the 1946–47 season playing for Orient in the Third Division South before moving to The Dell in June 1947, with Bill Stroud moving in the opposite direction. [cite book | author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk | title=The Alphabet of the Saints| publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing | year=1992|pages=p.21| id=ISBN 0-9514862-3-3]

He made his debut for Southampton at home to West Ham United on 31 January 1948, replacing the injured Joe Mallett at centre half. After a run of eight games, he lost his place and spent the next season in the reserves. In 1949–50 and 1950–51 he made occasional starts, covering for Bill Ellerington at right-back and either Bill Rochford or Norman Kirkman at left-back. Unable to make either position his own, he was given a free transfer in August 1952, returning to Leyton Orient, under Alec Stock.

At Orient he failed to break into the first team and in 1953 joined Snowdown Colliery Welfare in the Kent League for three seasons. He then had spells as manager with Ashford Town and Hastings United.

He became manager of the Clarence public house in Hastings for a few years before becoming a franchising officer for Green Shield Stamps during the 1970s. [cite book | author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk | title=In That Number - A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC | publisher=Hagiology | year=2003|pages=p.477| id=ISBN 0-9534474-3-X] He spent his retirement in St Leonards-on-Sea and died in June 2008, one week short of his 88th birthday. [cite web |title= Saints mourn duo|work=www.saintsfc.co.uk| url= http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=10242|date = 22 June 2008| accessdate=3 September| accessyear=2008]

References