Wide men have played a significant role for Leicester City over the years. Here we list the best of them, continuing with numbers 6-4.
6. Mike Stringfellow made 370 appearances and scored 97 goals for the Foxes between 1962 and 1975. He is the eighth leading goal scorer in Leicester’s history. ‘Stringy’ was signed from Mansfield Town as an 18-year-old and quickly established himself in City’s first team.
Tall, pacey, and very strong - widely regarded as one of the most feared attackers in the top-flight in the early part of the 1960s - Mike formed an almost telepathic relationship with midfielder Davie Gibson on the left-hand side of the Leicester attack. He played in the great side that almost won the Division One title, reached the FA Cup final in the 1962/63 season (Mike scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Liverpool) and won the League Cup in 1964.
Stringfellow suffered serious knee and Achilles injuries in 1968 and was never quite the same, remaining at the club for another few seasons as a squad player. He played a relatively minor role in Jimmy Bloomfield’s side in the early 1970s turning out, for instance, in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool in 1974 during an injury crisis for the club. After retiring, Mike became a pub landlord in Leicestershire and then ran a newsagent. He is still a regular visitor to Leicester home games.
5. Len Barry played on the left flank (with Hugh Adcock on the right) in the great Leicester team of the 1920s that came close to winning the First Division title. He was signed from Notts County as a 25-year-old by Willie Orr for a substantial, and club record breaking £3,500, fee in 1927.
It was an inspired signing. Len played 214 games and scored 26 goals over six seasons during which time City finished third, second and eighth in Division 1. He possessed great dribbling skills and was a key provider of chances for Leicester strikers Arthur Chandler and Ernie Hine. He won Five England caps. In three of them, Len was paired with City teammate Adcock. Eventually eclipsed by Scottish international Danny Liddle in the Foxes’ team Len moved on in 1933 for a brief spell with Nottingham Forest.
4. Coalville born Hugh Adcock made 460 appearances for Leicester, scoring 52 goals, between 1923 and 1935. Only Graham Cross, Adam Black, Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy have played more times for the Foxes. Hugh was only 5’ 4” tall and formerly worked as a driver of pit ponies. But he made up for his lack of height with his express pace. He was a key player in the emergence of the City team, under manager Peter Hodge, who won the Division 2 title in 1925 and had a ten year run in the top-flight finishing third and second in that spell. He played five times for England scoring once, three of his international games also featuring his left-wing teammate Len Barry.
After retiring, Hugh became landlord of a Sileby pub before later being employed as a maintenance engineer at a textile factory in Leicester. Leicester City historian John Hutchinson tells us that Hugh was also an accomplished pianist and tenor. He died in 1975 at the age of 72.
More on Thursday.