Looking Back At: Dick Neal

I was contacted by a reader, Derek Burrows, who suggested I tell the story of Dick Neal ahead of our clash with Birmingham City.

Neal’s tale is one that Imps fans should know because, to date, he is the only player to have earned England honours higher than youth level while playing for the club. That’s right—Dick Neal was called up to England’s Under-23 squad during his first spell with us, making him officially the only Imp to represent a senior Three Lions side. While we’ve had England C players, and Andy Graver was called up to England B, the Yorkshire lad from Dinnington is the only one to play for a senior England side.

Neal’s story begins at Wolves, where he came through the ranks at their feeder club, Wath Wanderers. His father, Dick Neal Sr., was also a professional footballer, having played for clubs like Blackpool and Derby County before the Second World War, ensuring football ran deep in the Neal family. In 1951, Neal Jr. turned professional with Wolves but never quite managed to break into the first team.

By 1954, The Imps were interested, and he joined the club in July. At the time, it was reported that he had completed his National Service and, weighing 12 stone, moved to Lincoln with his wife. A fee was paid, though details of the amount weren’t revealed.

The Imps were a Second Division side back then, having just finished 16th. Bill Anderson was driving us to our best spell in our history in the second tier, and a young Neal was seen as a key part of that. He certainly started well—after displacing Bobby Owens, he made his debut at Portman Road in a 2-1 loss to Ipswich.

A month later, he truly announced his arrival, scoring four goals in three matches, including a brace at Port Vale. Fans immediately warmed to him, and it wasn’t long before England’s selectors did as well. The following season, he missed just one game as we finished eighth in the second tier, our best post-war placing to date.

England came calling, and he made his debut in a match that also saw another player with Imps connections, Alick Jeffrey, feature. Sadly, Jeffrey broke his leg in the game, but Neal caught the eye. He played a couple more times for his country, all the while his stock rising.

In 1956/57, he was ever-present again, right up until April, but injury robbed him of his final four matches in a City shirt. Little did fans know, as he left the field following our 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough, our top talent wouldn’t be seen again. Cardiff City of the First Division were circling, but wisely, he didn’t move to Wales—a year later, they’d be beaten at Sincil Bank as we completed our “Great Escape.”

Instead, Neal held out until Birmingham City swooped, and it was the right move for both him and us. For him, it meant games in Europe and top-flight football. For us, it meant £18,000 (£360,000 adjusted for inflation) and a player coming in the other direction, namely Albert ‘Bert’ Linnecor. While Neal went on to bigger things, Bert became something of a Lincoln legend, not least for scoring a hat trick as we beat Liverpool at Anfield in 1960.

At Birmingham, Neal was brought in to fill the shoes of Len Boyd, who had retired after the team’s 1956 FA Cup Final. Neal soon became a key figure at the club, making close to 200 appearances, including playing an important role in the 1960 Fairs Cup Final. He even captained the side during the 1960–61 season.

That European run began back in 1958 with a 2-2 draw in Koln, where Neal even chipped in with a goal. Over 18 months later, Birmingham found themselves facing Barcelona in the final, holding them to a goalless draw at St Andrew’s before succumbing 4-1 at the Nou Camp. Despite the defeat, Neal and his teammates showed they could mix it with Europe’s best, taking on world-class players like the legendary Hungarian duo Sándor Kocsis and László Kubala.

However, as happens in football, a new talent emerged in Terry Hennessey, and Neal moved on to Middlesbrough for £26,000 (around £520,000 adjusted for inflation), though injuries limited his appearances there.

A return to Lincoln followed in 1963, where he linked up with Linnecor once again, with the Imps now languishing in the basement division. The fee was minimal, around the £2,000 mark, and remarkably, he was bought by a supporter. The Imps were flat broke, and a fan had given £3,000 (around £50,000 today) for the club to make a signing. Neal came in and reclaimed his old number six shirt from Linnecor, though Bert stayed in the side. Just weeks after signing, Neal bagged a brace against Torquay to open his account once again.

Despite captaining the side in 1963/64, he appeared just three times the following season before being placed on the transfer list, making his final appearance at Sincil Bank on the opening day of the campaign. He was heavily linked with Rugby Town, where he eventually finished his playing career. He later transitioned into management with a string of non-league clubs in Staffordshire. After hanging up his boots, Neal found a new life in the licensed trade, running a pub in Penkridge for almost two decades.

In 2009, Imps fans honoured him as part of the club’s 125-year celebrations, placing him 42nd in the top 100 Imps players of all time. Sadly, four years later, he passed away at the age of 79.