*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Lennie Long
Appearances: 19 Goals: 0
Clean Sheets: 4
Date / Year of birth: 17th February 1935
Position: Goalkeeper
Season of first appearance: 1956/57
Season of last appearance: 1967/68
Also played for: Ipswich Town (0), Folkestone Town, Snowdown Colliery Welfare, Deal Town and Canterbury City
Popular keeper born in Egypt who had four spells at Hartsdown Park.
Lennie initially joined Margate from local football in October 1954 and played a few games for the reserves during the 1954/55 season, at the time Des Cross was the reserves' first-choice keeper.
In December 1954 Lennie had a trial with Chelsea and then in August 1955 Ipswich came in for him and paid £100 for his services. Lennie became their regular reserve team keeper for the 1955/56 season but then returned to Margate in July 1956.
He became the reserve team's first-choice keeper and then made his first team debut on 29.12.56 in a 4-1 defeat at Sheppey. Lennie kept his place for the next four matches too before regular keeper Peter Peters was recalled in early February 1957. Lennie returned to the reserves for the remainder of the 1956/57 campaign and at the end of the season he signed for Folkestone.
He went on to make around 25 first team appearances there over two seasons before moving on again, this time to Snowdown.
After a season and a half there Lennie returned to Thanet where he played local football for a while before returning to Margate for a third spell halfway through the 1960/61 season.
The first appearance of Lennie's 'comeback' was in a Kent Senior Cup tie at Sittingbourne on 11.2.61 and he went on to make nine first team appearances before the end of the campaign. He also played ten times for the reserves. Lennie won praise from the local press for his safe handling and "superb" kicking during his run in the senior side.
During the 1961/62 season he made a further three appearances deputising for Margate's new first-choice keeper Brian Hughes. Lennie also played regularly for the reserves and even played a game up front for them on 25.4.62. However it wasn't a great success and the local paper said that Lennie's display "only proved that he makes a far better job of keeping goal". At the end of the season he was released and returned to Folkestone for a second stint with them.
In the summer of 1963 Lennie joined Deal and became the club's first-choice keeper during their three seasons in the Southern League - 1963/64 to 1965/66. He became a very popular player there and even played twice as an emergency centre-forward - in a 7-1 defeat at Burton during 1964/65 and in a 7-0 home defeat against Dover during 1965/66.
Lennie left Deal to join Canterbury for the start of the 1966/67 campaign and after a season at Kingsmead, during which he made 43 Southern League appearances, Lennie returned to Margate for the fourth and final time in the summer of 1967.
He was brought in as cover for Brian Hughes and spent virtually the entire 1967/68 season in the reserves, sharing the second string keeping duties with youngster Paul Thomas after recovering from a fractured cheekbone sustained in training during August. However Lennie also made two first team appearances and the first of them was on 24.1.68 in a 3-2 defeat at Ashford in the Kent Senior Cup. At the end of the season he was released.
Lennie was also a talented cricketer and captained Margate CC, he was the team's wicket-keeper.
He worked for a local plastic firm during the early sixties.
In November 2001 Lennie was still living locally and travelling to watch Arsenal at Highbury on a regular basis.
In 2003 his former Deal team-mate Colin Holder described Lennie as being "one of the most under-rated keepers that I have known."
In 2004 Lennie was a single figure handicap golfer at North Foreland Golf Club in Broadstairs and had won many trophies. He was working for Jet Support Centre, Manston (near Ramsgate) as a carpenter.
Lennie was still living in Thanet in 2013 and in October of that year he was part of a team that won a Pro-Am golf tournament at North Foreland. He was 78 by then.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
KSC |
KLC |
KSS |
|
|
1956/57 (MFC) |
5 (47) |
N/A |
0 |
KENT LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (8TH OF 17) |
2R |
1R |
SF |
SF |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KSS |
|
|
1960/61 (MFC) |
9 (50) |
N/A |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (15TH OF 21) |
4QR |
2R |
2R |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KSS |
|
|
1961/62 (MFC) |
3 (66) |
N/A |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (5TH OF 20) |
2R |
RU |
SF |
W |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1967/68 (MFC) |
2 (82) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (8TH OF 22) |
2R |
W |
1R |
GR |
N/A |