Jackie Lane (footballer)

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Jackie Lane
Personal information
Full name John George Lane
Date of birth (1931-11-10)10 November 1931
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Date of death 22 March 2023(2023-03-22) (aged 91)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Selly Park Blacks
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1949 Boldmere St. Michaels
1949–1956 Birmingham City 46 (14)
1956–1959 Notts County 57 (19)
1959–1960 Hinckley Athletic
1960–1961 Kidderminster Harriers
1961 Evesham United
1961–1962 Belper Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John George Lane (10 November 1931 – 22 March 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. He made 103 appearances in the Football League for Birmingham City and Notts County.[1] Lane also played in the Southern League for Hinckley Athletic, in the Birmingham & District League for Boldmere St. Michaels, Kidderminster Harriers and Evesham United, and in the Midland League for Belper Town.

Life and career[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

John George Lane was born on 10 November 1931 in Selly Oak, Birmingham.[2] He played youth football for Selly Park Blacks,[3][4] and later joined Boldmere St. Michaels, from where the 17-year-old signed professional forms with Birmingham City in September 1949.[5] While doing his National Service in the Army, he was successful in athletics and was runner-up in the Western Command heavyweight boxing championship.[5]

Birmingham City[edit]

Lane was demobbed in early 1953, and made his first-team debut for Birmingham on 6 April at home to Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division. A "big six-footer"[6] who played in contact lenses",[5] he showed strength, an "ability to hit the heavy ball with surprising power", and a "tremendously long throw-in". His volley tied the scores, Birmingham won 2–1, and the following day's Birmingham Gazette headline-writers suggested he might be the solution to the club's problems at centre forward.[7] He kept his place for the remaining five games of the season and scored twice more,[8] but Ted Purdon began the following season at centre forward, scored 15 goals from 23 matches, and it was only after Purdon's transfer to Sunderland in January 1954 that Lane returned to the side.[9][5] He scored twice from eight league matches, half at centre forward and half at his preferred position of inside forward, in 1953–54,[9] and appeared more regularly the following season.[10]

When Birmingham faced Liverpool on 11 December 1954, Lane opened the scoring after just 48 seconds, somewhat fortunately, as his shot deflected off a defender's foot leaving the goalkeeper stranded. By half-time, the score was 4–1, and the eventual 9–1 win remains, as of October 2021, Liverpool's record defeat in senior competition.[11][12] He contributed six goals in the last couple of months of the season as Birmingham – in ninth place at the beginning of March and 11 points behind the leaders, albeit with games in hand[13] – went on to win the 1954–55 Second Division title, ahead of Luton Town and Brentford on goal average.[10][14]

Although primarily used as cover for any of the forward positions in the following season, Lane played in ten First Division matches and scored once, in a 4–3 win against Manchester City.[15] He also played in Birmingham's second match in the inaugural edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a 1–0 win away to the Zagreb XI. He and Bill Finney set up the goal for Eddy Brown after eight minutes, but Lane was substituted after half an hour because he "had found himself on the receiving end of some rough challenges from the home side and was starting to retaliate."[16] That was the last of his 49 appearances for Birmingham City.[2] The Sports Argus summed him up as "one of those who never let the side down. But being everybody's deputy has its drawbacks in that it never gets you very far."[6]

Notts County[edit]

On 2 July 1956, Lane signed for Second Division club Notts County, who were "crying out for a centre forward to convert the work of Ron Wylie".[6] In the first three months of the season he scored seven goals from 16 matches, but by January 1957 he had lost not only the centre-forward position but his place in the side entirely.[2] Towards the end of February, the Football Post was lamenting how Lane, for whom County had paid a substantial fee, "has the physique and shooting power and was expected to inspire a snappier mood, but unfortunately he has yet to strike his true form."[17]

Recalled in late October, Lane's form improved under the coaching of manager and former England international forward Tommy Lawton and "his own enthusiasm for his work",[18] and he finally established himself in the side. His 11 league goals from 26 matches made him the club's top scorer for the season, but the team finished 23rd in the table and were relegated to the Third Division.[2] Early in the 1958–59 season, Notts County accepted his transfer request.[19] He remained with the club, but his season was interrupted by injuries, and when fit, he played little first-team football.[20]

Non-league football[edit]

Lane was transfer-listed at the end of the season at a fee of £4,000, and in the absence of interest from Football League clubs, signed for Hinckley Athletic, newly elected to the Southern League.[21] He scored four goals in the club's first ever fixture at that level, an 8–1 win at home to fellow newcomers Ashford Town,[21][22] and was a regular in the side,[23] but was listed for transfer at the end of the campaign.[24] After scoring "plenty of goals" for Kidderminster Harriers during the 1960–61 season, Lane moved on to another Birmingham & District League club, Evesham United, in June 1961,[25] but he was released in late September to cut costs and signed for Belper Town of the Midland League.[26]

Death[edit]

Lane died on 22 March 2023, at the age of 91.[27][28]

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Birmingham City 1952–53[8] Second Division 6 3 0 0 — 6 3
1953–54[9] Second Division 8 2 1 0 — 9 2
1954–55[10] Second Division 22 8 0 0 — 22 8
1955–56[29] First Division 10 1 1 0 1[a] 0 12 1
Total 46 14 2 0 1 0 49 14
Notts County 1956–57[2] Second Division 21 7 1 0 — 22 7
1957–58[2] Second Division 26 11 1 0 — 27 11
1958–59[2] Third Division 10 1 1 0 — 11 1
Total 57 19 3 0 — 60 19
Career total 103 33 5 0 1 0 109 33
  1. ^ Appearance in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

Honours[edit]

Birmingham City

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jackie Lane". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Player search: Lane, JG (Jackie)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  3. ^ Matheson, Charles (1 September 1951). "Give the youngsters a fair deal". Sports Argus. Birmingham. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Shaw (2014), p. 32.
  5. ^ a b c d Bellamy, Rex (8 January 1954). "Lane leads Blues in the Cup". Birmingham Gazette. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c "Jackie Lane now at Meadow Lane". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 7 July 1956. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Morris, Peter (7 April 1953). "Lane may be solution of Blues' poser". Birmingham Gazette. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Matthews (1995), p. 188.
  9. ^ a b c Matthews (1995), p. 189.
  10. ^ a b c Matthews (1995), p. 190.
  11. ^ Matheson, Charles (11 December 1954). "Nightmare for Liverpool—each forward nets". Sports Argus. Birmingham. p. 1 – via LFC History.
  12. ^ "Our History: Timeline". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Birmingham City league performance history: League Division Two table after close of play on 01 March 1955". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Birmingham City league performance history: League Division Two table at close of 1954–55 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  15. ^ Matthews (1995), pp. 104, 191.
  16. ^ "Blues in Europe – Part One 1956–1958". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011.
  17. ^ Little John (23 February 1957). "Notts. County's search for talent resumed". Football Post. Nottingham. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Little John (23 November 1957). "Lane going ahead". Football Post. Nottingham. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Alick giving up hope". News Chronicle. London. 4 September 1958. p. 10.
  20. ^ Hall, Ross (2 October 1958). "'Yes–no' referee upsets County". Daily Mirror. London. p. 21. County's last hope went two minutes later, when centre forward Jackie Lane was carried off with torn ligaments.
    "County shuffle". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 12 December 1958. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
    "Notts County drop young leader". Evening Mail. Leicester. 13 March 1959. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b "Hinckley Athletic get a mixed baptism". Sports Mail. Leicester. 29 August 1959. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Middlefield heroes: Dudley Kernick and the Boys of '63". Hinckley United Football Club. James Moore. Archived from the original on 25 February 2002.
  23. ^ "Hinckley bring in Glaze on wing". Evening Mail. Leicester. 9 March 1960. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Hinckley will let Lane go". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 7 May 1960. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Lane to put Evesham on the right road?". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 10 June 1961. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Jackie Lane now signs for Belper Town". Football Post. Nottingham. 7 October 1961. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Birmingham City FC [@BCFC] (22 March 2023). "The Club are saddened to learn of the passing of former player Jackie Lane at the age of 91" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "John George Lane". Funeral Notices. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  29. ^ Matthews (1995), pp. 191, 241.

Sources[edit]

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