Roger Holmes
Encyclopedia
Roger William Holmes is an English former professional footballer who scored 36 goals from 278 games in the Football League
playing as an inside forward
or wing half
for Lincoln City
, his only professional club.
, Lincolnshire
, and attended Brigg Grammar School. While still at school he played for Limestone Rangers in the Gainsborough
League, and made his debut at 15 for Lincoln City
's reserve team. He left school with 13 O-levels, and began training as an industrial chemist at a Scunthorpe
steel works. He signed for Lincoln City as a part-time professional, and made his debut in the Football League
on 18 April 1960, aged only 17, in a Second Division
away game against Brighton & Hove Albion
. He was gradually introduced to regular first-team football, and remained with the club as they dropped to the Fourth Division
. He was Lincoln's top scorer with 14 goals in 1967–68, but suffered an injury towards the end of that season which kept him out until the September. Only a few games after his return, he broke both bones of his leg, an injury which kept him out of football for 18 months and from which he never recovered his previous standard of play. After retiring from professional football, having made 305 appearances for his only club, he played and coached in non-League
and junior football, including working under Graham Taylor with Lincoln's youth team.
After football he spent 25 years with a major finance company, working his way up to a regional management position. He lived in Lincolnshire after retirement.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing as an inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
or wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
for Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, his only professional club.
Career
Holmes was born in ScunthorpeScunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, and attended Brigg Grammar School. While still at school he played for Limestone Rangers in the Gainsborough
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
League, and made his debut at 15 for Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
's reserve team. He left school with 13 O-levels, and began training as an industrial chemist at a Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
steel works. He signed for Lincoln City as a part-time professional, and made his debut in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
on 18 April 1960, aged only 17, in a Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
away game against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
. He was gradually introduced to regular first-team football, and remained with the club as they dropped to the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
. He was Lincoln's top scorer with 14 goals in 1967–68, but suffered an injury towards the end of that season which kept him out until the September. Only a few games after his return, he broke both bones of his leg, an injury which kept him out of football for 18 months and from which he never recovered his previous standard of play. After retiring from professional football, having made 305 appearances for his only club, he played and coached in non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
and junior football, including working under Graham Taylor with Lincoln's youth team.
After football he spent 25 years with a major finance company, working his way up to a regional management position. He lived in Lincolnshire after retirement.