We take a look back at one of the most clinical strikers in Lincoln's history
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 after he racked up an impressive tally of forty-five 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 also 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 goal in the form of the impressively named Berthold Allan Couldwell Hall
Hall delivered an awe inspiring fifty-six goals in his first fifty Lincoln appearances. His deadly finishing unsurprisingly endeared him to the supporters and 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 and there were numerous occasions where he would barge the opposing 'keeper into the net!
Hall's brains and brawn 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 which started on Boxing Day saw him score thirteen goals in just eight games!
The following season brought with it a step up in class within the Second Division. Lincoln's infallible striker continued to perform though, as he recorded an impressive twenty-three goals in thirty-two games. His scoring frenzy included braces against Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Charlton, Grimsby and Bury.
Following the end of the 1932-33 season, Spurs offered £3,000 for Hall's services. The fee was £,000 above the total cost of the entire squad Parkes had built for promotion 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. Allan'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 just 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 but matched the £3,000 fee Spurs requested.
Hall was to merely provide back up for The Tangerines and despite scoring nine goals in sixteen games for them, he proved to be out of favour and transfer listed once more. Blackpool requested £1,000 for the sale of Hall, but no club would match their valuation - Allan even wrote to the Football League requesting that his sale price was reduced, but to no avail.
He was subsequently forced out of professional football and played for Gainsborough Trinity from July 1935 - where he went on to score over two hundred goals in just over hundred matches.
Despite this, Allan never repeated the form he displayed at Lincoln and both he and the supporters would certainly have looked back at his sale with regret.
Blackpool were happy to make a loss on the striker rather than allowing him to carry on with his career and he retired from the game following the conclusion of the Second World War.
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 ultimately proved to be right.
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