He may not be a player that is synonymous with Lincoln City, nor has he been well remembered within football. Nevertheless, Allan Hall holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season for the Imps.
He racked up an impressive tally of 45 goals to help Lincoln gain promotion from the Third Division North in the 1931-32 season.
Born in Sheffield, Hall made a name for himself as a clinical striker which saw him move around the amateur leagues until a move to Doncaster Rovers in 1926. Spells as Middlesbrough and Bradford preceded his arrival at Lincoln in 1931 for £200. The Imps had just missed out on promotion in the previous season and manager Harry Parkes was keen to add more goals to his team. Parkes certainly was provided with a huge talent in front of goals in the form of Berthold Allan Couldwell Hall.
Hall delivered an awe inspiring 56 goals in his first 50 Lincoln appearances. His dead eye finishing endeared him to the supporters, he could score all types of goals from the sublime to the ridiculous. His large stature made him a nightmare for defenders and goalkeepers alike, there were numerous occasions where he would barge the opposing ‘keeper into the net. His brawn and brains were pivotal in delivering the first ever league title for the Imps in 1932.
His fine goal scoring form saw him hit four against Southport, hat tricks against Chester, Crewe and Darlington and a run from Boxing Day saw him score 13 in 8. The exciting Imps were attracting the interest of their supporters, one in six were attracted to watch Parkes’ side. 15,000 came to watch them clinch promotion against Wrexham with a goalless draw. Hall also scored in a memorable game where his team mate, Frank Keetley, scored six in 21 minutes at home to Halifax.
The following season brought with it a step up in class in the Second Division. Lincoln’s infallible striker continued to perform as he recorded an impressive 23 in 32. His scoring frenzy included braces against Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Charlton, Grimsby and Bury. His goals home and away against Tottenham attracted them enough to make a big offer for the Yorkshireman. Following the end of the 1932-33 season, Spurs offered £3,000 for the services of Hall. The fee was £1,000 above the total cost of the squad Parkes had built for promotion in the previous season. Hall was happy to stay at Lincoln, but the offer was too big for the club to resist and he was reluctantly sold to Spurs.
Hall’s apprehension ahead of the move proved to foretell the fortunes of the rest of his career. Despite the fee, Hall only played two games for his new club who had gained promotion to the First Division. Tottenham did not see enough to want to keep him at the club and he was quickly sold to Blackpool who had just been relegated to the Second Division who matched the £3,000 fee Spurs requested. Hall was to provide back up for the Tangerines, despite scoring 9 in 16 for them when he was given the chance and impressing for the reserve side, he was again out of favour and again transfer listed.
Blackpool requested £1,000 for the sale of Hall but no club would match their valuation. Hall wrote to the Football League requesting that his sale price was reduced, but to no avail. Therefore, he was forced out of professional football and played for Gainsborough Trinity from July 1935. Despite repeated attempts to convince Blackpool to lower their valuation, Hall was left to ply his trade in amateur football and scored 207 in 209 games with Gainsborough.
Hall never repeated the form he displayed at Lincoln and both he and the supporters will certainly look back at his sale with regret. Blackpool were not happy to make a loss on the striker and stopped him carrying on with his career. He limped out of football following the Second World War, knowing full well that he could have become a legend with the Imps. If the war can ever be viewed in a positive light, it did allow Hall a return to the Imps as he scored 10 in 29 playing as a guest whilst he was aiding the war effort.
Allan Hall delivered two seasons of sublime forward play for Lincoln before his career was halted, through no fault of his own. It seemed that Spurs and Blackpool never really gave him a chance to impress and his gut feeling of trepidation was proved right. Hall did get the chance to impress the Imps once again but not to the extent he looked set to do at the end of the 1933 season.
Peter Kenny Jones https://peterkj.wixsite.com/football-historian @PeterKennyJones
ALLAN HALL
Date of Birth: 29 March 1908 Place of Birth: Deepcar, Sheffield, England
Date of Death: 1983 (aged 74-75) Playing Position: Centre forward
SENIOR CAREER
- Park Labour - -
1926-27 Doncaster Rovers 30 (22)
1927-29 Middlesbrough 7 (2)
1930 Bradford City 11 (4)
1931-32 Lincoln City 72 (65)
1933 Tottenham Hotspur 2 (0)
1933-34 Blackpool 16 (9)
- Gainsborough Trinity - -
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