24th April 1910

Sunderland

Forward

An understudy initially to Fred Whitlow, and later Dick Ebdon, Harry Poulter played for Exeter City between 1932 and 1936. A former Navy man he joined the club from Sunderland and later briefly played for Hartlepools United. Although his first-team appearances came in dribs and drabs he ultimately netted 33 goals from just 50 starts. Harry was a member of the Exeter City team that defeated Torquay United to win the Division Three (South) Cup in May 1934.

Harry didn’t sign as a professional until he joined Exeter City from Sunderland in the summer of 1932. Prior to that he had played for the Roker Park club as an amateur having previously served with the Royal Navy at Rosyth, Portsmouth and in the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Fleet.

Harry made a goalscoring debut in the 2-0 win at Bristol City in August 1932 but dropped out of the side after seven games. After totalling just 11 league starts (5 goals) in 1932/33, he subsequently enjoyed a run of games shortly before Christmas 1933 and finished 1933/34 with 9 goals from 11 league appearances.   

Starting 1934/35 by playing in 10 of the first 19 games, Harry then missed half-a-dozen games before a run of 16 matches saw him total 16 league goals to finish joint top scorer with Frank Wrighton.

With much speculation about Harry's future, he started the following season by scoring a hat-trick against Aldershot on 31 August 1935 but was soon taken ill with "stomach trouble" and was out of action until January. Briefly returning to the first-team for the Newport County game on 25 January 1936, Harry spoke of retiring from the professional game and left the club at the end of the season.

Returning to the North East, Harry decided to have a trial with Hartlepools United in August 1936 but never played for the first team and, as of the 1939 Register, was listed as a single man living in his brother's family home in Sunderland whilst working as port maintenance fitter's labourer and serving with the Police War Reserve.

Harry died in Sunderland on 25 February 1985 at the age of 74.

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