Background
He was born in Exeter, Devon, the son of Stanley Charlton, who played at full back for Exeter City and Crystal Palace during the 1920s and 1930s.
He was born in Exeter, Devon, the son of Stanley Charlton, who played at full back for Exeter City and Crystal Palace during the 1920s and 1930s.
He signed as a professional for Leyton Orient in 1952, and was a near ever-present for the next three seasons for Orient, as they finished runners-up in the Third Division in 1954-1955.
Despite his surname, he was not related to the more famous football players Bobby Charlton and Jack Charlton, who were two contemporaries of his. Bromley and Leyton Orient
He was selected to play for the Third Division South team against the North in 1955-1956. Arsenal
In November 1955 Charlton joined Arsenal with Orient team-mate Vic Groves for £30,000, and succeeded Len Wills as the club"s first-choice right back.
He made his debut on 24 December 1955 against Chelsea and remained in the same position for nearly all of the rest of the season.
He was also an ever-present in 1956-1957 and 1957-1958, and played for the London XI in both legs of the semi-finals of the 1955-1958 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Lausanne Sports. Return to Orient
However, he was dropped by Arsenal after a 3–1 defeat to Burnley in September 1958, in favour of Wills, the man he had originally displaced.
At Orient, he remained at the side for the next seven seasons, skippering them to promotion to the First Division in 1962 and for their one and only season in the top flight, 1962-1963. Retirement and later life
Stan Charlton retired in summer 1965, having played 366 league matches for Orient over the two spells.
He became manager of Weymouth and remained in that post for seven years.
After that, he became a district manager for a local football pools company. Although residing in Weymouth, despite the distance Stan remained very active with the O"s and was very much involved with Leyton Orient Supporters" Club where he attended several end of season "Star Manitoba" awards evenings. He also took part in a presentation involving Leyton Orient"s supporters" trust, the Leyton Orient Fans" Trust.
Stan Charlton died in the early hours of 20 December 2012 in Dorchester Hospital, aged 83.