Gordon Turner
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gordon Reginald Turner | ||
| Date of birth | 7 June 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 1976 (aged 46) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1964 | Luton Town | 406 | (243) |
| 1964–1967 | Wisbech Town | ||
| 1967–1968 | Kettering Town | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Gordon Reginald Turner (7 June 1930 – 1976) was an English footballer, who was best known as a Luton Town centre forward. He is Luton Town's all-time top goalscorer, with 243 in the League and 276 overall.
Born in Doncaster, the son of a Hull City professional footballer, Turner began his own footballing career as a right sided midfielder. During his national service in the Royal Navy, two Chief Petty Officers, both Lutonians, saw his raw talent and tipped off Dally Duncan, the manager of Luton Town. Duncan happened to know the teenage Turner's father, having played alongside him for Hull—whether or not this influenced his judgement, Turner was signed on as an apprentice in 1949.
He made his debut on 9 December 1950, in a 4–1 defeat at Coventry City, playing in midfield. However, the following season, he was given the opportunity to play up front and soon began scoring many goals, including a hat-trick in his fourth game.
Over the next few seasons Turner developed into Luton's star player—he scored 32 goals during the 1954–55 season to secure top flight football at Kenilworth Road for the first time, and continued to help Luton hold their own in the First Division.
Turner was dropped from the team for the FA Cup for the 1958–59 season due to injury—despite Turner's absence, Luton marched to the final at Wembley to face Nottingham Forest in their first Cup final. Despite Turner's return to fitness, Luton named an unchanged side, meaning Turner was still not picked. Luton lost 2–1.
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