Jimmy Brain
Jimmy Brain was Lynn's first player-coach, taking the role in 1935 and staying for just the one season as terms for a further season could not be agreed.Born in Bristol (11 September 1900) he was one of seven brothers and a coal miner before he started football. After unsuccessful trials with Cardiff City, Brain joined Ton Pentre - joining Arsenal in 1923 and staying there eight years, during which he scored 139 goals in 232 appearances
He joined Tottenham Hotspur in September 1931, the first player to make such a move, for a fee of £2,500 scoring ten goals in 45 appearances leaving them in April 1935.
In his one season at The Walks he scored 24 goals in Lynn's first season in the Eastern Counties League.
At the club AGM following Brain's departure, it was observed that John Thurgood Snow "recognised generally as an outstanding member of the team, frankly confessed that Brain gave the team no coaching or advice whatsoever apart from his 'hold it' doing the game. Other players support Snow in that statement."
He was not a full time coach and also worked in the Sugar Beet Factory.
On leaving Lynn he did some coaching and scouting work for Arsenal and in that role took Lynn 18 year old right-half back Kenneth Porter to Arsenal for a three month trial, joining Margate who were Arsenal's nursery team.
Porter returned to Lynn by March 1936 and Brain was appointed secretary/manager of Cheltenham Town on 8th April 1937 and stayed there until January 1948.
Jimmy Brain died 10 September 1971 in Barnet, North London.
Note: Some sources such as Wikipedia suggest he went on to play for Swansea Town and Bristol City but this is probably a confusion with Joe Brain.