Les Goodwin

A Manchester lad whose reserved occupation excused him from war-time service but permitted him going full-time, he was originally signed on amateur forms by Blackpool; but it was Oldham who obtained his professional registration, much to the dismay of the former when he played against them. He was actually signed by Manchester City after Oldham had left him off their retained list in a confusion over his initials in June 1945. The Latics’ directors objected and appealed to cancel his contract with City to which the Maine Road directors agreed. He enjoyed his two seasons at Southport which he found a very ‘homely’ club. A part-time professional throughout his career, he had always suffered from hay-fever and asthma; the addition of a groin injury persuaded him to give up the game altogether in 1949. He continued to work as a machine fitter until moving for health reasons in 1961 to Cumberland, where he now lives in retirement.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9