Bert Linnecor
Encyclopedia
Albert Roy "Bert" Linnecor (born 30 November 1933) is an English
former professional footballer who made 281 appearances in the Football League
playing for Birmingham City
, and Lincoln City
. He played as a wing half
or inside forward
.
district of Birmingham
. He attended Lea Village School and played representative schools football for Saltley
Boys. When he left school he worked for the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company
, assembling bicycles, and played for his works team
on Saturday mornings and for Brookhill Juniors on Sundays. A Birmingham City
supporter, he signed for the club in 1950, initially as an amateur
. After completing his National Service
in the Royal Army Service Corps
, he turned professional in May 1952.
He had to wait nearly four years for his first-team debut, which came on 7 March 1956, deputising for the injured Roy Warhurst
in a First Division
game at Huddersfield Town
which finished 1–1. One of several players tried in the half-back
line in the run-up to the 1956 FA Cup Final
, Linnecor was not selected for that game. He played 11 games in the following season, and in April 1957 was sold to Lincoln City
as a makeweight in the £15,000 deal which took Dick Neal in the opposite direction.
After narrowly avoiding relegation
from the Second Division
in 1957, Linnecor remained at Lincoln for the rest of his Football League career, a further seven full seasons, during which he scored 55 goals from 287 appearances in all competitions. He is remembered for the hat-trick
he scored against Liverpool
at Anfield
in 1960 to give Lincoln a 3–1 victory and inflict on Liverpool their first home league defeat of the year. In the 1964 close season, Linnecor left Lincoln, by then in the Fourth Division
, and moved into non-league football
with Boston
, newly-formed and playing in the Lincolnshire League.
He then played for Grantham Town
, where he scored 11 goals from 88 appearances, helping the club to the second round of the 1968–69 FA Cup
, where they were defeated only in the last few minutes of the match by that season's League Cup
winners Swindon Town
, and to victory in the Midland League
Cup. After that he played for Worksop Town
and Bourne Town
, whom he assisted to successive United Counties League
titles, and coached
junior players at Lincoln City.
After leaving full-time football, Linnecor worked as a salesman before becoming a storeman at Ruston
's. He managed Ruston Sports football team for a number of years, and remains a vice-president of the club. On retirement, Linnecor and his wife settled in the Lincoln
area.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional footballer who made 281 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, and Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. He played as a wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
or inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
.
Career
Linnecor was born in the NechellsNechells
Nechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
district of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He attended Lea Village School and played representative schools football for Saltley
Saltley
Saltley is an inner-city area of Birmingham, east of the city centre. The area is currently part of the Washwood Heath ward, although formerly a feature of the Nechells ward...
Boys. When he left school he worked for the Hercules Cycle and Motor Company
Hercules Cycle and Motor Company
For the German Bicycle and Motorcycle manufacturer see: Hercules Fahrrad GmbH & CoThe Hercules Cycle and Motor Company Limited was a British bicycle manufacturer founded on 9 September 1910 in Aston in England....
, assembling bicycles, and played for his works team
Works team
A works team is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company.-Africa:...
on Saturday mornings and for Brookhill Juniors on Sundays. A Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
supporter, he signed for the club in 1950, initially as an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
. After completing his National Service
Conscription in the United Kingdom
Conscription in the United Kingdom has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1919, the second was from 1939 to 1960, with the last conscripted soldiers leaving the service in 1963...
in the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
, he turned professional in May 1952.
He had to wait nearly four years for his first-team debut, which came on 7 March 1956, deputising for the injured Roy Warhurst
Roy Warhurst
Roy Warhurst is an English former footballer who made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic. He played as a wing half....
in a First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
game at Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
which finished 1–1. One of several players tried in the half-back
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
line in the run-up to the 1956 FA Cup Final
1956 FA Cup Final
The 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
, Linnecor was not selected for that game. He played 11 games in the following season, and in April 1957 was sold to Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
as a makeweight in the £15,000 deal which took Dick Neal in the opposite direction.
After narrowly avoiding relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
in 1957, Linnecor remained at Lincoln for the rest of his Football League career, a further seven full seasons, during which he scored 55 goals from 287 appearances in all competitions. He is remembered for the hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
he scored against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in 1960 to give Lincoln a 3–1 victory and inflict on Liverpool their first home league defeat of the year. In the 1964 close season, Linnecor left Lincoln, by then in the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
, and moved into non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Boston
Boston Town F.C.
Boston Town F.C. is an English football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division and play at Tattershall Road.-History:...
, newly-formed and playing in the Lincolnshire League.
He then played for Grantham Town
Grantham Town F.C.
Grantham Town F.C. is a football club, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. They are nicknamed The Gingerbreads and they play their home matches at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium . They were established in August 1874...
, where he scored 11 goals from 88 appearances, helping the club to the second round of the 1968–69 FA Cup
FA Cup 1968–69
The 1968–69 FA Cup was the 88th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup...
, where they were defeated only in the last few minutes of the match by that season's League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, and to victory in the Midland League
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
Cup. After that he played for Worksop Town
Worksop Town F.C.
Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division...
and Bourne Town
Bourne Town F.C.
Bourne Town Football Club is an English football team based in Bourne, England, currently playing in the United Counties Football League Division One. They were established in 1883 and joined the United Counties Football League in 1947, where they have been champions on three occasions - in...
, whom he assisted to successive United Counties League
United Counties Football League
The United Counties Football League is an English football league covering Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, as well as parts of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It has a total of four divisions, two for first teams and two for reserve teams...
titles, and coached
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
junior players at Lincoln City.
After leaving full-time football, Linnecor worked as a salesman before becoming a storeman at Ruston
Ruston (engine builder)
Ruston & Hornsby, later known as Ruston, was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars, steam...
's. He managed Ruston Sports football team for a number of years, and remains a vice-president of the club. On retirement, Linnecor and his wife settled in the Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
area.
External links
- Linnecor's profile and photo at The Lincoln City FC Archive