[attach id=262791 size="medium"]Charlie Mattocks won several honours with Sliema Wanderers.[/attach]
Charlie Mattocks, born in Msida in 1932, began his football career in the Anglo Maltese Football League.
In 1946-47, Mattocks played for Msida Panthers, helping them to win the Anglo Maltese Cup in their first season.
The following season he joined Msida Wolves as an Under-18 player. An attacking left-winger, he soon caught the eye.
His goalscoring instinct was in evidence as he helped the minors’ team win section honours and the senior team to seal promotion from the Third Division. That season, Mattocks was the club’s top scorer.
It was inevitable that such a promising player would attract the attention of the senior clubs. It was evident that he would not last long at Msida and sure enough, in 1949 Mattocks signed for Sliema Wanderers.
The Blues had long been searching for a replacement to their great left-winger Maurice DeCesare and Mattocks seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
Like DeCesare, Mattocks was strong and his best attributes were his forages down the wing.
He could beat his marker easily with his side-stepping and mazy dribbles. He would suddenly veer towards goal and let fly hard shots that were reminiscent of the glory days of DeCesare.
In the nine seasons he spent with the Wanderers, Mattocks played 96 competitive matches and scored 24 goals.
For a winger this was a very good record indeed.
The 1950s were great years for the Wanderers as the Blues went through one of the golden periods in their history. Some of the greatest players ever to wear the famous club colours played during that period.
Mattocks was certainly in good company in those days.
With players of the calibre of Tony Nicholl, Ninu Calleja, Sammy Nicholl, Lolly Cuschieri, Ġużi and Salvu Bonnici, and Salvinu Schembri, how could anyone go wrong.
Mattocks fitted well in the team and honours came in abundance. He won the league championship three times and collected three FA Trophy, two Cassar Cup and four Scicluna Cup medals.
One disappointment was, perhaps, the strange fact that he was picked to represent Malta on only two occasions but never in a full international.
He played once for the MFA XI against foreign opposition and once for the League XI against service opposition. He also played 15 matches for Sliema against visiting foreign clubs, scoring two goals.
By 1958 Mattocks was nearing the end of his career.
It was becoming more and more difficult for him to command a first-team place so he requested a transfer to St Patrick FC in the second division.
With his help, the team from Żabbar won promotion to the first division for the first time. He played 17 matches for the Saints in the top flight before he retired in 1962.