Links With The Past: Arthur Chandler's Testimonial Match Programme

When Arthur Chandler signed for Leicester City as a 27-year-old in 1923 from Third Division South Queens Park Rangers, he had only scored a career total of 18 goals.

By the time he left Filbert Street in June 1935 as a 39-year-old, he had netted a Club-record 273 times in 419 matches. This total included 16 hat-tricks and one double hat-trick.

After a brief spell at Notts County, he returned to Filbert Street to join the backroom staff in various capacities until he retired, aged 73, in 1969, 46 years after he first joined the Club.

On 13 December, 1961, soon after his 66th birthday, ‘Channy’ was awarded a floodlit testimonial match at Filbert Street.    

This eight-page programme for the match, which was between Leicester City and ‘A.Chandler’s XI’, indicates that City’s proposed side (subject to change) was, in the main, their 1961 FA Cup Final team. Bill McDerment, Gordon Wills and Terry Heath also played a part.

‘A. Chandler’s XI’ was defeated 8-3 on the night, in front of a crowd of over 13,000. Their biggest name was Don Revie, the ex-Leicester City star who had recently been appointed player-manager of Leeds United. The remainder of their proposed team were ex-Leicester City players from the 1950s.  

Shrewsbury Town’s manager Arthur Rowley scored 265 goals for City between 1950 and 1958. Kettering Town’s Johnny Morris was an ex-England international. Shrewsbury Town’s Derek Hines, who hit 117 goals for Leicester, and Cardiff City’s outside-left Derek Hogg, between them made nearly 500 appearances for the Club. Birmingham City’s Wales international centre-forward Ken Leek had been sensationally dropped from the Leicester team on the eve of the 1961 FA Cup Final.

In defence, Southampton’s centre-half Tony Knapp was called up for an England squad while at Filbert Street. Goalkeeper Dave MacLaren, wing-half Gordon Fincham and centre-back John Newman were by then all playing for Plymouth Argyle.

The other ex-Leicester players in Chandler’s XI were Scunthorpe United’s forward Barry Thomas, Walsall winger George Meek and Stockport County’s full-back Billy Webb.