Bertie Fulton

A player of true Corinthian Spirit, well after the phrase could have been considered an anachronism in football circles, Bertie Fulton won every honour available to him, and never received a penny...

Name: Robert Patrick Fulton
Born: 6 November 1906, Larne
Died: 5 May 1979, Larne
Position: Left-Back

Representative Honours: Ireland: 21 Full Caps (1928-1938); 20 Amateur Caps / 1 Goal (1925-1938); Irish League: 15 Caps (1929-1940); Northern Regional "War-Time" League: 4 Caps (1941-1943); Great Britain Olympic Team: 3 Games (1936); Ireland/Wales v Football League (1935).

Club Honours: (with Larne) Irish Cup Runner-Up 1927/28; (Belfast Celtic) Irish League Champion 1925/26, 1928/29, 1932/33, 1935/36, 1936/37, 1937/38, 1938/39, 1939/40; Irish Cup Winner 1937/38, 1940/41, 1942/43, Runner-Up 1928/29; Northern Regional League Champion 1940/41, 1941/42, 1942/43; Gold Cup Winner 1939/40, Runner-Up 1929/30, 1937/38; City Cup Winner 1925/26, 1929/30, 1930/31, 1932/33, 1935/36, 1936/37, 1937/38, 1939/40, Runner-Up 1931/32, 1933/34; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1935/36, 1938/39, 1942/43, Runner-Up 1931/32, 1932/33; Charity Cup Winner 1931/32, 1935/36 (shared), 1938/39, 1939/40, 1940/41, Runner-Up 1924/25, 1929/30, 1930/31, 1934/35; (with London Caledonians) London Senior Cup Winner 1925/26.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Larne	23/24-24/25	-	Amateur	-	-	-
Belfast Celtic	24/25-25/26	-	Amateur	-	-	-
London Caledonians	25/26-26/27	Dec-25	Amateur	(Isthmian League)
Dundalk	26/27	Sep-26	Amateur	1/0	-	-
Larne	27/28	-27	Amateur	-	-	-
Belfast Celtic	28/29-42/43	-28	Amateur	-	-	-
Larne	43/44	-43	Amateur	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£0		-	-	-

Biography:
Larne-born Bertie Fulton began his footballing career with his hometown club, then played briefly with Belfast Celtic, making enough appearances at the start of 1925/26 season to gain an Irish League medal. In December 1925 he moved to London to train as a teacher. While studying at Strawberry Hill College, he played with London Caledonians - one of England's leading amateur teams of the time. He assisted the Caledonians to 2nd place in the Isthmian League and winning the London Senior Cup.

Fulton returned to Belfast Celtic in May 1926 and played enough matches to gain a City Cup medal. He then made a single appearance for Dundalk in September 1926 while waiting to return to London to undertake his exams. Once qualified, Fulton returned home to re-sign for Larne. He quickly drew the attentions of the Irish FA's selection committee, and was capped for the first time in a 4-0 defeat by France in February 1928, featuring in what was a largely experimental line-up.

Bertie had made his Amateur International debut as a Belfast Celtic player on the 11th May 1925. In all he appeared 21 times for the Amateurs, becoming the most capped player (6 more than Cliftonville’s Ernie McCleary and Kevin McGarry.)

Fulton was back at Celtic Park for the 1928/29 season, and it was to be a long and distinguished spell. By the end of his first season he had a second Irish Cup runner-up medal following a 2-1 final defeat by Ballymena (adding to that he had picked up in Larne's defeat by Willowfield in the previous season's final), and his first appearance for the Irish League. The following season Fulton was back in the Ireland team, as Wales were crushed 7-0 at Celtic Park thanks to six goals from Joe Bambrick. From then until the outbreak of the Second World War, Fulton was Ireland's regular left-back, injuries and work-commitments permitting.

Later, when asked to select the best match in which he had played, Fulton selected the 2-1 defeat by England at Goodison Park in February 1935. It was a game in which Ireland played with an uncharacteristic confidence and swagger, and marked by superb football and controversy. Both England 'keeper Harry Hibbs, and his Irish opposite number, Tommy Breen, had superb matches, keeping the goals total down to just three. Ireland only failed to win thanks to Coulter's delayed penalty striking the cross-bar, and a late mistake by Fulton himself gifted England the winner.

In 1936 Fulton was selected for the Great Britain team that headed for the Berlin Olympics. He played in both games, a 2-0 victory over China, and a 5-4 defeat by Poland (some sources crediting him with one of the goals). He could surely have won more representative honours had he not been restricted from featuring in more mid-week matches due to his teaching duties.

Fulton - possessor of a fantastic football brain, a strong tackle, pace and a superb passing range - rejected overtures from the likes of Manchester United to turn professional. He did however go for a trial with Blackpool in October 1933. He never regretted his decision to remain an amateur, and was able to test himself against the likes of Dixie Dean and Stanley Matthews during his 900-odd game career.

On the 19th February 1938 Bertie scored his only goal for Amateur Ireland in the 1-1 draw with England at Leicester – an equaliser in the very last minute!! Incidently this was his first goal in Senior Football. His only goals for Belfast Celtic were one goal in the 8-2 defeat of Glentoran in the Regional League in April 1941 and ironically an o.g. for Glentoran in a 2-1 defeat in the Gold Cup in September 1941.
 The 1942/43 season was to be Fulton's last as a Belfast Celtic player, and it proved a sad end. In the final League game of the season they faced Linfield in a must win game if the title was to return to Celtic Park. With the scored level in the dying minutes Celtic were awarded a penalty, which Fulton stepped-up to take. Facing him between the posts was old pal Tommy Breen, who, as a former club and international teammate, knew Fulton. Breen correctly guessed where the ball would be placed, and his save took the title to Windsor Park.

A third spell back at Inver Park, Larne, brought Fulton's playing career to a close, and he later returned to Belfast Celtic to coach the second eleven. Some consider that Fulton was the tactical brain behind Elisha Scott's great Belfast Celtic side of the 1930s and '40s, putting into action tactics such as four forwards and one winger whilst every other team played a stringent W-M formation.

Captain, star, gentleman, genius?

BBC Story

Ireland Cap Details:

21-02-1928 France.. A L 0-4 FR

01-02-1930 Wales... H W 7-0 BC
20-10-1930 England. A L 1-5 BC
21-02-1931 Scotland H D 0-0 BC
22-04-1931 Wales... A L 2-3 BC
17-10-1931 England. H L 2-6 BC
05-12-1931 Wales... H W 4-0 BC
17-09-1932 Scotland H L 0-4 BC
17-10-1932 England. A L 0-1 BC
16-09-1933 Scotland A W 2-1 BC
14-10-1933 England. H L 0-3 BC
04-11-1933 Wales... H D 1-1 BC
20-10-1934 Scotland H W 2-1 BC
06-02-1935 England. A L 1-2 BC
27-03-1935 Wales... A L 1-3 BC
13-11-1935 Scotland A L 1-2 BC
11-03-1936 Wales... H W 3-2 BC
31-10-1936 Scotland H L 1-3 BC
18-11-1936 England. A L 1-3 BC
17-03-1937 Wales... A L 1-4 BC
16-03-1938 Wales... H W 1-0 BC

Summary: 21/0. Won 6, Drew 2, Lost 13.

Ireland Amateur Cap Details:
11-05-1925 Irish League N D 2-2
07-11-1925 England. A L 4-6
06-11-1926 England. H L 0-3
12-11-1927 England. A D 1-1
10-11-1928 England. H L 0-2
12-10-1929 Scotland H L 0-3
20-09-1930 Scotland A L 0-2
15-11-1930 England. H W 3-1
14-11-1931 England. A L 2-3
23-01-1932 Scotland H W 4-0
28-01-1933 Scotland A L 1-5 (or 0-6?)
18-02-1933 England. H W 4-3
17-02-1934 England. A L 0-4
25-04-1934 Scotland H W 4-1
17-04-1935 Scotland A W 3-2
15-02-1936 England. A L 0-5
22-04-1936 Scotland H L 3-5
13-02-1937 England. H W 5-1
19-02-1938 England. A D 1-1 1 goal
13-04-1938 Scotland H W 2-1
18-02-1939 England. H L 0-1

Summary: 20/1. Won 7, Drew 2, Lost 11.

Great Britain Appearance Details:
06-08-1936 China... N W 2-0 OG
08-08-1936 Poland.. N L 4-5 OG
12-08-1936 Germany. A L 1-4 FR

Summary: 3/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 2.

Photo and additional information by George Glass.