Pen Pictures of Gainsborough Trinity Players, 2000-01
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10 November, 2000
Gainsborough Trinity F.C. Players 2000-01
Steve Curry - Age 33, 5ft 11in. Signed in January 1999 from North East Counties League Club, Hatfield Main, where he spent four seasons. He has also gained experience with Bridlington Town. Steve was presented with both the Players' Player and Supporters' Player of the Year Awards at the end of last season for his contributions to the squad.
Ally Pickering - 33, 5ft 11in. Joined the club in mid-September from Hyde united. Ally started his career in Non-League football with Buxton and was transferred to Rotherham United for a small fee. Over the next seasons, Ally went on to make over 200 Football League appearances with Coventry City and Stoke City, before returning to Non-League football in the 1999/2000 season in the Conference with Altrincham where his stay was fleeting.
Alex Allen - 20, 6ft. Signed for the club in December 1999 from Doncaster area club, Brodsworth Miners' Welfare. He is a left-sided defender and began his career as a schoolboy with Norwich City before moving to a YTS scheme. In 1997, he signed a two-year professional contract and gained experience in their Reserve team. At the end of the 1998/99 season, Bruce Rioch released him and following trials with several League Clubs has yet to settle with any one in particular.
John Reed - 28, 5ft 9in. Signed in September 1998 from Blackpool following his release at the end of the previous season. John has spent all his career in the Football League starting with Sheffield United for 9 years making 40 first team appearances. He has gained valuable experience with loans to Scarborough, Mansfield, Darlington and Chesterfield. Left Trinity in January 1999 for a loan spell in Greece with Ethnikos Perez. Returned at the end of March 1999.
Brian Linighan - 27, 6ft 4in. Signed in September 2000 from North East Counties League Club, Hallam FC, where he only made a handful of appearances. He has gained experience in the Football League with Sheffield Wednesday and spent last season at Bury before being released.
Ian Gore - 32, 6ft. Signed for the Club in September 1999, following a move North from Rymans League Club, Boreham Wood. An experienced Football League player who has made over 450 appearances during his career with the likes of Wigan, Blackpool & Doncaster.
Simon Drayton - 24, 5ft 10in. Simon joined the Club in March 1999 from local League side Limestone Rangers. A Gainsborough based player.
Steve Circuit - 28, 5ft 10in. Signed in January, 1997 from Macclesfield for a small fee. He began his career with Sheffield United before moving into Non-League football enjoying spells with Stafford Rangers and Halifax Town. In September, 1993 he was signed by Boston United where he spent 3 seasons before going to Macclesfield at the beginning of the 1996/97 season. Steve left Trinity to join Leek in July 1998 but re-signed in July 1999.
Paul Watts - 22, 5ft 11in. Joined in July 2000 after leaving Boston United. Paul began his playing career at Grantham Town before leaving to join Boston United where he spent the last three seasons.
Lee Ellington - 20, 5ft 10in. Joined in October 2000 after starting his career at Hull City. He then joined Exeter City before and had a month's trial at Altrincham, but only figured as a substitute.
Darren Holmes - 25, 5ft 11in. Joined in October 2000 from North East Counties side Hallam FC. He gained valuable League experience with Sheffield Wednesday where he spent several seasons.
Chris Newton - 21, 5ft 10in. Signed for the Club in August 2000 from Halifax Town, where he had made several first team appearances.
Shaun Goodwin - 31, 5ft 9in. Joined the club in September, 2000 from Altrincham, after spending the second half of last season there. He began his career with his home town club Rotherham United notching over 300 appearances for the South Yorkshire side. He was released in May, 1998 and joined Doncaster Rovers before being transferred to Altrincham in December, 1999.
Gavin Bassinder - 21, 6ft. An October 2000 signing. Gavin began his career with Barnsley as a member of their Football Academy and progressed through the ranks gaining experience in their Pontins League and Premier League reserve teams. He later transferred to Mansfield Town where he made a handful of first team appearances before being released in May 2000.
Gainsborough Trinity FC- History
In 1889, the Midlands Counties League was established and they became members that season, Mr C E Layne their first representative on the management committee. Their first match was a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Lincoln City but they still managed to finish seventh of eleven clubs that season. They quickly became well known and won their first Midland League Championship in 1890/91 and after being runners-up in 1891/92, were elected to the Football League Division 2.
Their first match was away to Newton Heath, a club that was to go bankrupt some 10 years later but subsequently resurrected under the name Manchester United. Trinity held on to their place in Division 2, but based in an area with a small population, it was always a struggle and when they finished bottom in 1911/12, they resigned and returned to the Midland Counties League. Here they were to gain greater success winning the Championship in 1927/28, 1948/49 and 1966/67, also being runners-up twice. The Midland League failed to function for one season - 1960/61, in which Trinity played in the Central Alliance, but it was back to Midland Counties the following year and they remained there until earning a founder place in the Northern Premier League in 1968/69.
They have competed strongly against teams in areas of much higher population ever since, twice having been placed fourth in the final tables. They have long been noted for transfers to League clubs and the man who was their Honorary Manager for more than 30 years, Mr Charles Caldicott, arranged transfers to League clubs of no fewer than 19 players in the 1930's and 40's.
Through him the name of Gainsborough Trinity became well known in the boardrooms of league clubs from West Ham and Tottenham in London, to Luton Town, Sheffield & Hull. Just one became an England International, Jackie Morton, who was sold to West Ham. In the Division 2 days, two more Trinity transferees had gone on to play for England. Goalkeeper Ronnie Sewell, one of a trio transferred to Burnley along with full-backs Sam Gunton and Cliff Jones and left winger Fred Spiksley who went to Sheffield Wednesday and played 7 times for England against Scotland, twice scoring hat-tricks. Trinity have also a proud record in the FA Cup and between 1927 and 1939 established a record for Non-League clubs with eight appearances in the 2nd Round proper.
The 1997/98 season was another triumph when they forced Lincoln City to a first round proper replay at Sincil Bank. They have also reached the 2nd Round Proper of the FA Trophy twice. They have twice won the NPL League Cup in 1980/81 and 1996/97, each time also winning the League Charity Challenge Shield. They have held the Lincolnshire Senior Cup seven times.
Trinity's Northolme ground has been a home of sport for nearly 150 years, beginning life as a cricket ground, later cricket sharing it with Trinity and now, owned by the Trinity Supporters Club, for soccer. Its record attendance was 9,760 for a Midland League match in the late 40's against near neighbours, Scunthorpe United.