Henry William 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.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henry William Lane[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 March 1909[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Hednesford, England | ||
| Date of death | March 1977 (aged about 68) | ||
| Place of death | Cannock, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Hednesford Town | |||
| Rugeley Villa | |||
| – | Bloxwich Strollers | ||
| 1930–1933 | Birmingham | 2 | (0) |
| 1933–1938 | Southend United | 155 | (50) |
| 1938–1946 | Plymouth Argyle[a] | 50 | (9) |
| 1946–1949 | Southend United | 65 | (14) |
| 1949–1950 | Chelmsford City | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career edit
Lane was born in Hednesford, Staffordshire. A forward, he joined Birmingham from Staffordshire local football.[2] 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.[2]
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.[2][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][4] and later made guest appearances for Nottingham Forest, Northampton Town, West Bromwich Albion and Port Vale in wartime competition.[2][10] In May 1946, Lane rejoined Southend. He contributed 21 goals in 75 games over the next three seasons, finally retiring from professional in May 1949 at the age of 40.[1][6] In 1949, Lane signed for Chelmsford City. On 24 August 1949, Lane became the oldest ever debutant for the club in a 2–1 win against Barry Town.[11]
Lane died in Cannock, Staffordshire, in 1977 aged about 68.[2]
Career statistics edit
Source:[12]
| Club | Season | Division | League | Cups | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Birmingham | 1930–31 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Southend United | 1933–34 | Third Division South | 39 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 9 |
| 1934–35 | Third Division South | 25 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 10 | |
| 1935–36 | Third Division South | 40 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 46 | 17 | |
| 1936–37 | Third Division South | 36 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 17 | |
| 1937–38 | Third Division South | 15 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 5 | |
| Total | 155 | 50 | 22 | 8 | 177 | 58 | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 1937–38 | Second Division | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 1938–39 | Second Division | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 6 | |
| 1939–40 | Second Division | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 9 | ||
| Southend United | 1946–47 | Third Division South | 38 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 16 |
| 1947–48 | Third Division South | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 1948–49 | Third Division South | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 68 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 272 | 73 | 26 | 11 | 298 | 84 | ||
Notes edit
- ^ Plymouth Argyle total includes three games and one goal from the abandoned 1939–40 Football League season.[3][4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Harry Lane". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData (Tony Brown). p. 151. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- ^ a b "Results 1939–40". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ Matthews, p. 173.
- ^ a b "Harry Lane". Southend United FC Database. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ "Season 1935–36". Southend United FC Database. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ "Season 1936–37". Southend United FC Database. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-907969-40-2.
- ^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 167. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ "BLOG 4 – 21st March 2010". The Chelmsford City Historian. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Harry Lane at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)