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Charlie, aged 14 (extreme right)
Charlie Mitten -
The Penalty King
1921 -2002
The greatest outside left England Never had'
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 MMitten at his deadliest, Old Trafford, January 1949 (photo: Daily Express)
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Charlie's father was a company Sergeant Major in the Royal Scots and when he retired from the army he took a job as a physical training instructor at Queen Victoria School. Charlie was 7 at the time. Every day after school Charlie would be out kicking a football against the gable end of the row. He'd mark little spots on the wall and practice hitting them further and further back. Unconsciously, he was developing innate skills. Later, as Matt Busby stated, he could land the ball on a sixpence from the corner flag, a skill he practised for 2 to 3 hours per day.
Charlie commented on his time at Queen Victoria School as follows:- 'Life can so easily take the unexpected course. It would not have been surprising if I had made the army my career, or if rugby had been my sport. The principal game at Queen Victoria School was rugger and I played rugby league for the School, as well as soccer. 1 grew up at a school that was a paradise - you did your academic studies, then learned military skills, reading the compass, shooting and there was every sport you could think of.
The young Mitten excelled at athletics too and was the School's Victor Ludorum. He also played in the Pipe Band at Murrayfield for the England international. Charlie commented as follows:- 'At the time I was proud to see myself as a Highland laddie. I only realised how important the sword dancing was much later, when I analysed what I was doing. I thought, why do they keep saying to me, "You skip round the full back and he just misses you"? I thought they're not just missing me - I'm doing it so they miss me'.
Charlie Mitten commented on Highland Dancing as follows: 'Sword dancing is a magnificent exercise that can benefit all athletes. It's the most perfect physical exercise for footballing skills because you've got to control something with your feet, while doing the athletic things like running and jumping, turning and twisting. Your balance has to be correct, it makes you nimble and exercises the leg muscles, especially the calves. It enables you to jump nimbly and change direction in the air. I would say sword dancing and country dancing were the most important
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exercises I've found to help me in my football skills. It also helped me in my quickness and timing in tight spaces. The balance required for Highland Dancing is total and for football total control over your centre of gravity is the key to going round a man with a ball. I'd often come off the field at Manchester United and I'd never have a mark on my shorts - because of my balance. They used to say to me "We don't need to wash your shorts, Charlie, you can wear yours again next week".
Charlie Mitten joined Manchester United in 1936 but he served in the Azores in the Second World War as a tail gunner and physical training instructor. After the war he enjoyed 4 seasons (142 games) with the 'Red Devils' in three of which Manchester United finished second in the league. He scored 50 goals including 17 penalties from 17 attempts. He played a key part in their 1948 cup winning attack which comprised Jimmy Delaney, Johnny Morris, Jack Rowley, Stan Pearson and Mitten - 'the famous five'.
The team's greatest success was indeed their FA Cup campaign of 1947 - 48 and in the F.A. Cup Final were losing 2 - 1 to Blackpool (with Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen in their
side) and won 4-2.
I was privileged to meet Charlie Mitten a few years ago when I showed him round the School. As all Old Victorians do, he reminisced about his enjoyable time at QVS. He reinforced the comments quoted above from 'The Bogota Bandit' by Richard Adamson and, in particular, his debt to Highland Dancing. So convinced was he of its value that when he returned from South
America and later became Manager of Newcastle United in 1958 he taught the players Highland Dancing.
(Material used for the above article: Obituary from The Times and extracts from 'The Bogota Bandit - the outlaw life of Charlie Mitten' by Richard Adamson).
Headmaster
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