Harry Lane (footballer)

Harry Lane
Personal information
Full nameHenry William Lane[1]
Date of birth21 March 1909
Place of birthHednesford, England
Date of deathMarch 1977 (aged about 68)
Place of deathCannock, England
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing positionForward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
Hednesford Town
Rugeley Villa
Bloxwich Strollers
1930–1933Birmingham2(0)
1933–1938Southend United155(50)
1938–1946Plymouth Argyle[upper-alpha 1]50(9)
1946–1949Southend United64(15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Henry William "Harry" Lane (21 March 1909 – March 1977) was an English professional footballer who scored 74 goals in 271 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham, Southend United and Plymouth Argyle.[2]

Playing career

Lane was born in Hednesford, Staffordshire. A forward, he joined Birmingham from Staffordshire local football.[4] He made his debut in the First Division on 29 November 1930, deputising for Johnny Crosbie at inside right in a game at Bolton Wanderers which Birmingham lost 2–0. Lane played once more that season,[5] but was unable to establish himself as a first-team player. He was released in May 1933 and joined Southend United of the Third Division South.[4]

Lane played 177 games in all competitions for Southend in nearly five seasons with the club, scoring 58 goals at a rate of one every three games.[6] He was their leading scorer in the 1935–36 season with 17 goals,[7] and followed up with another 17 the next season, including two hat-tricks.[8] In March 1938, he moved up to the Second Division with Plymouth Argyle.[4][9]

He was a regular in Plymouth's first team until the Second World War put an end to competitive football, though without scoring as freely as he had for Southend.[1] He remained with Plymouth for a couple of months playing in the wartime regional league,[1][3] and later made guest appearances for Nottingham Forest, Northampton Town, West Bromwich Albion and Port Vale in wartime competition.[4][10] In May 1946, Lane rejoined Southend. He contributed 21 goals in 75 games over the next three seasons, finally retiring in May 1949 at the age of 40.[6][1]

Lane died in Cannock, Staffordshire, in 1977 aged about 68.[4]

Notes

  1. Plymouth Argyle total includes three games and one goal from the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season.[2][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Harry Lane". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). p. 151. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Results 1939–40". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  5. Matthews, p. 173.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Harry Lane". Southend United FC Database. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  7. "Season 1935–36". Southend United FC Database. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  8. "Season 1936–37". Southend United FC Database. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
  9. Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-907969-40-2.
  10. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 167. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.