Season 1951-52 Season 1952-53
Lynn appointed their first player manager, Jack Howe. Howe, a defender, had spent two years at Hartlepool before moving onto Derby County in 1936. He made 223 appearances for them in the years to 1950. During this time he made three appearances for England. He joined Huddersfield Town for the 1950-51 season. Cliff Whitelum remained as player-coach.
It was a season where attendance records were broken. The opening Eastern Counties League match saw Lynn defeat Spurs A in front of 7,192 at The Walks – the highest in the league for a season opener. That evening Lynn Reserves took on Lynn United in a Peterborough League game watched by 1,882 whilst 1,043 saw Lynn A play Hotpoint in the Peterborough League Division Two.
A new league crowd record was set when Wisbech visited The Walks in September – 8,387 seeing Lynn win 4-1.
It was just as well the games were so well attended as it was estimated that it needed between 4000-5000 each match for the finances to break even.
On 13th October Lynn A were removed from the Peterborough Junior Cup by Chatteris Reserves – only their third defeat in 51 matches.
Lynn's first 14 games of the season saw Cliff Whitelum on the scoresheet, notching 24 goals. Five of these came in Lynn's FA Cup 14-1 victory over Chatteris – the club record win in the competition. The game, which saw Lynn 3-0 up at half time, also had four goals disallowed for offside – three for Lynn. Having seen off Wisbech and March Lynn were drawn to play the winners of the Sudbury/Bury tie the outcome of which was resolved at the third attempt. It became Sudbury's first visit to The Walks who had a rather unique supporter in “Roarer” Joe Marley who travelled to every away game by bicycle. Lynn scraped through by virtue of an own goal to set up a meeting with Exeter City and Lynn's record gate. For this game Lynn increased admission prices – with ground admission rising to one shilling and sixpence instead of the usual shilling and rumours circulating that tickets were changing hands for five shillings on the black market. Admission to ground and stand was three and six. Lynn went down 3-1 in front of 12,931 - the ground record. It was reported that even with that crowd there was space for more people justifying an earlier comment in the Lynn News which said “it is estimated that there is room for 15,000 people, provided they are properly packed.”
Lynn's problems with finding accommodation for their players continued. A house in St Edmunds Avenue, Hunstanton, that had been converted into two flats, was occupied by Walter Price and Cecil Heydon neither of whom played for Lynn anymore. Lynn resorted to court action to try to remove them but although it might have been logical to assume that the players would vacate the premises when they no longer played for Lynn, there appeared to be no written contract.
On a more trivial point, a crowd of 1,621 saw Lynn Reserves play Upwell at the Walks. Highlights of this game were the pink shorts worn by the visiting ‘keeper, and a delay in proceedings whilst the referee repaired a hole in one of the goal nets.
Lynn applied to the FA for a grant for “ground reconstruction and improvements” and were awarded £5,000. The projects they had in mind included covering the Hospital End terracing and extending the existing covered accommodation along the north side of the ground where it was felt that the shelter was too low and narrow and although “several thousand people can pack beneath it” it was difficult for those at the back to follow the full extent of play.
Unfortunately things did not go as planned as the FA misread part of Lynn's grant application and subsequently wrote to the club withdrawing their offer.
The season ended with a surprise for Lynn fans when they learnt that they were to lose the local derby against Wisbech Town who had opted to join the Midland League – a move that was not appreciated by all their supporters.
Lynn's average league attendance was 4,295 – 4,910 from all competitions
After leading for most of the season Lynn Reserves, champions of the Peterborough & District League, were beaten into third place.
During the season Lynn competed for ten trophies and won six of them. The George Miler Shield, Norfolk Senior Cup, Nuneaton Charity Cup, Culey Victory Cup, Culey Festival Cup, and the Dereham Charity Cup.
Lynn played 58 matches over a period of 37 weeks - some 15 matches being played over a period of 26 days.
Lynn appointed their first player manager, Jack Howe. Howe, a defender, had spent two years at Hartlepool before moving onto Derby County in 1936. He made 223 appearances for them in the years to 1950. During this time he made three appearances for England. He joined Huddersfield Town for the 1950-51 season. Cliff Whitelum remained as player-coach.
It was a season where attendance records were broken. The opening Eastern Counties League match saw Lynn defeat Spurs A in front of 7,192 at The Walks – the highest in the league for a season opener. That evening Lynn Reserves took on Lynn United in a Peterborough League game watched by 1,882 whilst 1,043 saw Lynn A play Hotpoint in the Peterborough League Division Two.
A new league crowd record was set when Wisbech visited The Walks in September – 8,387 seeing Lynn win 4-1.
It was just as well the games were so well attended as it was estimated that it needed between 4000-5000 each match for the finances to break even.
On 13th October Lynn A were removed from the Peterborough Junior Cup by Chatteris Reserves – only their third defeat in 51 matches.
Lynn's first 14 games of the season saw Cliff Whitelum on the scoresheet, notching 24 goals. Five of these came in Lynn's FA Cup 14-1 victory over Chatteris – the club record win in the competition. The game, which saw Lynn 3-0 up at half time, also had four goals disallowed for offside – three for Lynn. Having seen off Wisbech and March Lynn were drawn to play the winners of the Sudbury/Bury tie the outcome of which was resolved at the third attempt. It became Sudbury's first visit to The Walks who had a rather unique supporter in “Roarer” Joe Marley who travelled to every away game by bicycle. Lynn scraped through by virtue of an own goal to set up a meeting with Exeter City and Lynn's record gate. For this game Lynn increased admission prices – with ground admission rising to one shilling and sixpence instead of the usual shilling and rumours circulating that tickets were changing hands for five shillings on the black market. Admission to ground and stand was three and six. Lynn went down 3-1 in front of 12,931 - the ground record. It was reported that even with that crowd there was space for more people justifying an earlier comment in the Lynn News which said “it is estimated that there is room for 15,000 people, provided they are properly packed.”
Lynn's problems with finding accommodation for their players continued. A house in St Edmunds Avenue, Hunstanton, that had been converted into two flats, was occupied by Walter Price and Cecil Heydon neither of whom played for Lynn anymore. Lynn resorted to court action to try to remove them but although it might have been logical to assume that the players would vacate the premises when they no longer played for Lynn, there appeared to be no written contract.
On a more trivial point, a crowd of 1,621 saw Lynn Reserves play Upwell at the Walks. Highlights of this game were the pink shorts worn by the visiting ‘keeper, and a delay in proceedings whilst the referee repaired a hole in one of the goal nets.
Lynn applied to the FA for a grant for “ground reconstruction and improvements” and were awarded £5,000. The projects they had in mind included covering the Hospital End terracing and extending the existing covered accommodation along the north side of the ground where it was felt that the shelter was too low and narrow and although “several thousand people can pack beneath it” it was difficult for those at the back to follow the full extent of play.
Unfortunately things did not go as planned as the FA misread part of Lynn's grant application and subsequently wrote to the club withdrawing their offer.
The season ended with a surprise for Lynn fans when they learnt that they were to lose the local derby against Wisbech Town who had opted to join the Midland League – a move that was not appreciated by all their supporters.
Lynn's average league attendance was 4,295 – 4,910 from all competitions
After leading for most of the season Lynn Reserves, champions of the Peterborough & District League, were beaten into third place.
During the season Lynn competed for ten trophies and won six of them. The George Miler Shield, Norfolk Senior Cup, Nuneaton Charity Cup, Culey Victory Cup, Culey Festival Cup, and the Dereham Charity Cup.
Lynn played 58 matches over a period of 37 weeks - some 15 matches being played over a period of 26 days.