Linnecor, Bert – Grantham Town favourite scored hat-trick against Liverpool

Bert Linnecor (1933 – 2012)

ALBERT Roy Linnecor was a popular Grantham Town player who had made 281 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham City, and Lincoln City. He played as a wing half or inside forward.

Linnecor was born in the Nechells district of Birmingham. He 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 in 1956, 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.

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, scoring on his debut against Belper Town. He went on to score 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, Bert worked as a salesman before becoming a storeman at Ruston’s.

He managed Ruston Sports football team for a number of years.

Since retirement, Bert and his wife remained in the Lincoln area. He died in November 2012.

Compiled in association with Jon Barnes