Len Boyd
Encyclopedia
Leonard Arthur Miller "Len" Boyd (11 November 1923 − 14 February 2008) was an English professional footballer who played 333 games in the Football League
in the 1940s and 1950s. After serving in the Royal Navy
during the Second World War, Boyd signed for Second Division
club Plymouth Argyle
, where he spent two seasons playing as an inside forward
. When he began playing as a wing half
, a position to which he was better suited, he attracted attention, and soon secured a transfer to the First Division
with Birmingham City
for what was for Plymouth a record fee.
Though his club was soon relegated
, Boyd established himself in the first team and was appointed captain. He was chosen to represent England at "B" international
level. An industrious, dynamic player, described by his goalkeeper Gil Merrick
as "a good player and a bloody good captain", Boyd led the team to the championship of the Second Division in the 1954–55 season and to the FA Cup Final
and sixth place in the league, still Birmingham's record league placing, the following year. He played only once more for Birmingham, forced to retire by the back injury which had disrupted his final season with the club.
, east London. He played for the West Ham
Schools team alongside Ken Green
, who was later to be a Birmingham team-mate, and as a youth played for Ilford F.C.
The outbreak of the Second World War when Boyd was 15 delayed his entry into football as a career.
He joined the Royal Navy
, and while serving in Malta
was spotted playing for a Navy team by a Plymouth Argyle
supporter, who recommended him to the club. After a trial, Boyd signed professional forms in December 1945.
He made his debut on 12 October 1946, taking over at centre-half from Alf Miller for a Second Division
game away at Leicester City
which Plymouth lost 4–1. In his first season, Boyd played 16 league games, mainly in the inside left position, and scored four of his five Plymouth goals. He played regularly on the right side of the forward line in the following season, but failed to score, and was regarded as "a promising but not exceptional inside-forward". When manager Jack Tresadern
switched him to right half for the 1948–49 season, it became clear he was better suited to that position. After three consecutive seasons helping the Devon
club avoid relegation from the Second Division, Boyd was sold to First Division
club Birmingham City
in January 1949 for a fee of £17,500, the first five-figure fee ever received by Plymouth for a player.
who had joined Chelsea
earlier that month, and made his debut in a goalless draw away at Preston North End
.
In the 1949–50 season, his first full season with Birmingham, he established himself in the first team but was unable to prevent his new team's relegation to the Second Division.
When Fred Harris
retired at the end of that season, manager Bob Brocklebank
appointed Boyd as his successor as club captain, a post which he retained for the remainder of his Birmingham career.
Under Boyd's captaincy Birmingham reached the semifinals of the 1950–51 FA Cup, when they were defeated by the powerful Blackpool
side of Stanley Matthews
and Stan Mortensen
only after a replay
.
They twice came close to winning promotion
, missing out by three points in the 1950–51 season and then on goal average the following year.
Boyd's performances were rewarded with selection for England B
against Netherlands B
, a match played in front of a crowd of 60,000 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam
, but this, and a selection as reserve for a Football League representative side in 1954, was as close as he came to full international honours.
Manager Brocklebank significantly strengthened Birmingham's playing staff, but although the club nearly reached another semifinal in the 1952–53 FA Cup, losing in the sixth round to Tottenham Hotspur
after two replays, their league results failed to improve. In late 1954, Arthur Turner
was appointed manager, and his ability to instil a positive approach in the players transformed a team stagnating in mid-table into one needing to win the last game of the season, away at Doncaster Rovers
, in order to be promoted as champions on goal average. Boyd led the team to a 5–1 win, later recalling:
The same squad of players carried their promotion form into the 1955–56 season in the First Division, achieving the club's highest league finish of sixth place, and reaching the FA Cup final
. They became attractive to the media; after the FA Cup semifinal victory, Boyd signed an exclusive contract committing himself and his team-mates to appearing only on BBC
programmes in the weeks leading up to the final.
Fellow wing half
Roy Warhurst
injured a thigh in the sixth round at Arsenal
and played no further part in the season.
Boyd himself had for some time been suffering from a debilitating back problem, and relied on injections to keep him playing; he missed five of the last seven games of the season, but was passed fit on the Wednesday before the game.
In the event, Boyd played, in Warhurst's position at left-half, and the 22-year-old Johnny Newman
came in on the right. With Warhurst missing and Boyd out of position and not fully match-fit, Birmingham's strength and balance was disrupted, leaving them particularly vulnerable to Manchester City
's unconventional style of play, known as the "Revie Plan
". At half-time, a row erupted between the manager and some of the players, Boyd included, about their fitness; in the second half, whether due to physical and mental exhaustion or the effects of the row, Birmingham were soundly beaten.
On their return to Birmingham, the team received a civic welcome; Boyd told the thousands outside the Council House
that the team felt they had let the supporters down. Though the crowd roared "No!", recriminations followed. Speaking fifty years later, goalkeeper Gil Merrick
refused to attribute blame for the loss to Boyd's lack of fitness:
Boyd played only one more game for the club, two weeks after the Cup Final. Not risked in their first game in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
, against Internazionale
on a hard pitch in the San Siro
, he played in their next, a 1–0 win against a Zagreb
Select XI in Yugoslavia
. Following a favourable specialist's report during the close season, Boyd took part in pre-season training, but his back still troubled him. On 17 August 1956, the day before Birmingham were to open their 1956–57 League campaign, Boyd's contract with the club was terminated at his own request.
match report of the 1953 FA Cup sixth round replay against Tottenham Hotspur, a 2–2 draw in which Boyd scored the equalising goal and had his name taken, attributed Birmingham's second-half comeback to their captain's performance:
Against Arsenal
in the 1956 cup run he was "a champion who covered every inch of Highbury's mud, a dynamo and a man of steel", and, later the same season, The Times correspondent wondered rhetorically "was there ever such a human dynamo at wing-half?"
Birmingham based their success of the 1950s on "their acutely drilled and disciplined defence – founded upon the authority of their half-backs Boyd, Smith
and Warhurst
", though these three did much more than protect their defenders.
They acquired a fearsome reputation: Boyd himself once played four matches carrying an injury which turned out to be a hairline fracture of his leg. Team-mate Alex Govan
, preferring to describe Boyd as "hard, very hard" rather than a "dirty player", recalled:
really. He was hard on the pitch but soft off the field, he wouldn't do anybody a bad turn."
Boyd suffered from a fear of flying, which had on occasion caused difficulties in his football career. Chosen by the Birmingham County Football Association
for a representative match in Hamburg
in 1953, the players were already at the airport when he requested to be omitted from the side. While his teammates flew to Birmingham's Fairs Cup match in Milan, Boyd travelled across the English Channel
by boat and then across France and into Italy by train.
When Boyd retired from professional football, the Birmingham City directors "had stated their readiness to help him in any venture he decided to take up". He chose to enter the licensed trade
, and kept a public house
in Birmingham
. Having once said that "if I can't play in first-class football, I don't want to play any football at all", after two-and-a-half years out of the game he changed his mind. In early 1959 he attempted a comeback with Leicestershire
side Hinckley Athletic
, but found himself unable to play a full game. He remained involved with football for a few more years, acting as coach
and scout
for Redditch
of the West Midlands (Regional) League between 1960 and 1965. Settling in Melton Mowbray
, Leicestershire, he went on to become one of the town's first traffic warden
s. In later life he moved into a care home
in Melton, where he died in February 2008 at the age of 84.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
in the 1940s and 1950s. After serving in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Second World War, Boyd signed for Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
club Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
, where he spent two seasons playing as an inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
. When he began playing as a wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
, a position to which he was better suited, he attracted attention, and soon secured a transfer to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for what was for Plymouth a record fee.
Though his club was soon relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
, Boyd established himself in the first team and was appointed captain. He was chosen to represent England at "B" international
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
level. An industrious, dynamic player, described by his goalkeeper Gil Merrick
Gil Merrick
Gilbert Harold "Gil" Merrick , was an English footballer and football manager. Considered one of the best goalkeepers in the UK during the mid-1950s, Merrick was one in a long line of great Birmingham City keepers which included the likes of Johnny Schofield and Harry Hibbs...
as "a good player and a bloody good captain", Boyd led the team to the championship of the Second Division in the 1954–55 season and to the FA Cup Final
1956 FA Cup Final
The 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
and sixth place in the league, still Birmingham's record league placing, the following year. He played only once more for Birmingham, forced to retire by the back injury which had disrupted his final season with the club.
Early career
Boyd was born in PlaistowPlaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
, east London. He played for the West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
Schools team alongside Ken Green
Ken Green (footballer)
Kenneth "Ken" Green was an English footballer born in West Ham, London, who played as a full back. He played for Birmingham City from 1943 to 1959, making 443 appearances in all competitions and scoring 3 goals, and played in the 1956 FA Cup final which Birmingham lost to Manchester City 3-1...
, who was later to be a Birmingham team-mate, and as a youth played for Ilford F.C.
Ilford F.C.
Ilford F.C. is a London football club based in Ilford, in Greater London founded in 1987.There was an earlier famous non-league club of the same name, founded in 1881. In 1979, it merged with Leytonstone to...
The outbreak of the Second World War when Boyd was 15 delayed his entry into football as a career.
He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and while serving in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
was spotted playing for a Navy team by a Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
supporter, who recommended him to the club. After a trial, Boyd signed professional forms in December 1945.
He made his debut on 12 October 1946, taking over at centre-half from Alf Miller for a Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
game away at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
which Plymouth lost 4–1. In his first season, Boyd played 16 league games, mainly in the inside left position, and scored four of his five Plymouth goals. He played regularly on the right side of the forward line in the following season, but failed to score, and was regarded as "a promising but not exceptional inside-forward". When manager Jack Tresadern
Jack Tresadern
John "Jack" Tresadern was an English professional footballer and football manager. He played twice for the England national side.-Playing career:...
switched him to right half for the 1948–49 season, it became clear he was better suited to that position. After three consecutive seasons helping the Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
club avoid relegation from the Second Division, Boyd was sold to First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in January 1949 for a fee of £17,500, the first five-figure fee ever received by Plymouth for a player.
Birmingham City
He went straight into the first team as replacement for Frank MitchellFrank Mitchell (footballer)
Frank Rollason Mitchell was an Australian-born professional footballer who played as a wing-half. He played over 350 games in the Football League, including 86 in the First Division. He also played county cricket for Warwickshire....
who had joined Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
earlier that month, and made his debut in a goalless draw away at Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
.
In the 1949–50 season, his first full season with Birmingham, he established himself in the first team but was unable to prevent his new team's relegation to the Second Division.
When Fred Harris
Fred Harris (footballer)
Frederick "Fred" Harris was an English footballer who played his whole professional career for Birmingham City.-Biography:...
retired at the end of that season, manager Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank was an English footballer and manager.He played for Aston Villa and Burnley, where he was top goalscorer in 1937-38 before becoming a manager, at Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Hull City and Bradford City....
appointed Boyd as his successor as club captain, a post which he retained for the remainder of his Birmingham career.
Under Boyd's captaincy Birmingham reached the semifinals of the 1950–51 FA Cup, when they were defeated by the powerful Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
side of Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
only after a replay
Replay (sports)
In sports, a replay refers to a second game between two teams after the first game's results were either nullified or ended in a draw. A game may be nullified if the game's result is protested and the organizers ruled to replay the game...
.
They twice came close to winning promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
, missing out by three points in the 1950–51 season and then on goal average the following year.
Boyd's performances were rewarded with selection for England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
against Netherlands B
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, a match played in front of a crowd of 60,000 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, but this, and a selection as reserve for a Football League representative side in 1954, was as close as he came to full international honours.
Manager Brocklebank significantly strengthened Birmingham's playing staff, but although the club nearly reached another semifinal in the 1952–53 FA Cup, losing in the sixth round to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
after two replays, their league results failed to improve. In late 1954, Arthur Turner
Arthur Turner (footballer born 1909)
Arthur Owen Turner was an English professional footballer and football manager. He played as a centre-half for Stoke City, Birmingham City and Southport...
was appointed manager, and his ability to instil a positive approach in the players transformed a team stagnating in mid-table into one needing to win the last game of the season, away at Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
, in order to be promoted as champions on goal average. Boyd led the team to a 5–1 win, later recalling:
The same squad of players carried their promotion form into the 1955–56 season in the First Division, achieving the club's highest league finish of sixth place, and reaching the FA Cup final
1956 FA Cup Final
The 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
. They became attractive to the media; after the FA Cup semifinal victory, Boyd signed an exclusive contract committing himself and his team-mates to appearing only on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programmes in the weeks leading up to the final.
Fellow wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
Roy Warhurst
Roy Warhurst
Roy Warhurst is an English former footballer who made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic. He played as a wing half....
injured a thigh in the sixth round at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and played no further part in the season.
Boyd himself had for some time been suffering from a debilitating back problem, and relied on injections to keep him playing; he missed five of the last seven games of the season, but was passed fit on the Wednesday before the game.
In the event, Boyd played, in Warhurst's position at left-half, and the 22-year-old Johnny Newman
Johnny Newman (footballer)
Johnny Newman is an English former footballer and manager. Newman played as a central defender, beginning his career with Birmingham City in 1951 where he won the Second Division and was on the losing side in a FA Cup final. He moved on to Leicester City and then to Plymouth Argyle, for whom he...
came in on the right. With Warhurst missing and Boyd out of position and not fully match-fit, Birmingham's strength and balance was disrupted, leaving them particularly vulnerable to Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
's unconventional style of play, known as the "Revie Plan
Revie Plan
The Revie Plan was a tactical system in association football used by Manchester City in the 1950s. The system was named after Manchester City player Don Revie, who had the most important role in it....
". At half-time, a row erupted between the manager and some of the players, Boyd included, about their fitness; in the second half, whether due to physical and mental exhaustion or the effects of the row, Birmingham were soundly beaten.
On their return to Birmingham, the team received a civic welcome; Boyd told the thousands outside the Council House
Council House, Birmingham
Birmingham City Council House in Birmingham, England is the home of Birmingham City Council. It provides office accommodation for both employed council officers, including the Chief Executive, and elected council members, plus the council chamber, Lord Mayor's Suite, committee rooms and a large and...
that the team felt they had let the supporters down. Though the crowd roared "No!", recriminations followed. Speaking fifty years later, goalkeeper Gil Merrick
Gil Merrick
Gilbert Harold "Gil" Merrick , was an English footballer and football manager. Considered one of the best goalkeepers in the UK during the mid-1950s, Merrick was one in a long line of great Birmingham City keepers which included the likes of Johnny Schofield and Harry Hibbs...
refused to attribute blame for the loss to Boyd's lack of fitness:
Boyd played only one more game for the club, two weeks after the Cup Final. Not risked in their first game in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
, against Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
on a hard pitch in the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
, he played in their next, a 1–0 win against a Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
Select XI in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Following a favourable specialist's report during the close season, Boyd took part in pre-season training, but his back still troubled him. On 17 August 1956, the day before Birmingham were to open their 1956–57 League campaign, Boyd's contract with the club was terminated at his own request.
Style of play
Boyd was a tall man with a long stride. He was hard-working, combining industry with composure and skill on the ball. His dynamism was regularly mentioned; The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
match report of the 1953 FA Cup sixth round replay against Tottenham Hotspur, a 2–2 draw in which Boyd scored the equalising goal and had his name taken, attributed Birmingham's second-half comeback to their captain's performance:
Against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the 1956 cup run he was "a champion who covered every inch of Highbury's mud, a dynamo and a man of steel", and, later the same season, The Times correspondent wondered rhetorically "was there ever such a human dynamo at wing-half?"
Birmingham based their success of the 1950s on "their acutely drilled and disciplined defence – founded upon the authority of their half-backs Boyd, Smith
Trevor Smith (footballer)
Trevor Smith was an English footballer, who played as a centre half for Birmingham City and the England national football team.- Biography :...
and Warhurst
Roy Warhurst
Roy Warhurst is an English former footballer who made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Oldham Athletic. He played as a wing half....
", though these three did much more than protect their defenders.
They acquired a fearsome reputation: Boyd himself once played four matches carrying an injury which turned out to be a hairline fracture of his leg. Team-mate Alex Govan
Alex Govan
Alexander "Alex" Govan is a Scottish former professional footballer who played at outside left. Most of his career was spent with Plymouth Argyle and with Birmingham City during their most successful period in the 1950s...
, preferring to describe Boyd as "hard, very hard" rather than a "dirty player", recalled:
Life outside football
Boyd was married to Dolly, and had two children. He enjoyed oil-painting as a hobby. According to Govan, "Len was a typical cockneyCockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
really. He was hard on the pitch but soft off the field, he wouldn't do anybody a bad turn."
Boyd suffered from a fear of flying, which had on occasion caused difficulties in his football career. Chosen by the Birmingham County Football Association
Birmingham County Football Association
The Birmingham County Football Association, also simply known as Birmingham FA, is the governing body of football in the counties of West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The Birmingham FA run 13 cup competitions at different levels for teams in the West Midland region...
for a representative match in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1953, the players were already at the airport when he requested to be omitted from the side. While his teammates flew to Birmingham's Fairs Cup match in Milan, Boyd travelled across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
by boat and then across France and into Italy by train.
When Boyd retired from professional football, the Birmingham City directors "had stated their readiness to help him in any venture he decided to take up". He chose to enter the licensed trade
Licensing laws of the United Kingdom
Licensing laws of the United Kingdom regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol, with separate legislation for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland being passed, as necessary, by the UK parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Scottish Parliament respectively.Throughout the...
, and kept a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Having once said that "if I can't play in first-class football, I don't want to play any football at all", after two-and-a-half years out of the game he changed his mind. In early 1959 he attempted a comeback with Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
side Hinckley Athletic
Hinckley United F.C.
Hinckley United Football Club are an English football club, from Hinckley, Leicestershire currently playing in the Conference North. Formed only in 1997, the club has risen from the Southern League Midland/West Division to the Conference North in those 14 years...
, but found himself unable to play a full game. He remained involved with football for a few more years, acting as coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for Redditch
Redditch United F.C.
Redditch United F.C. is an English football club based in Redditch, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at the Valley.-Birmingham Combination:...
of the West Midlands (Regional) League between 1960 and 1965. Settling in Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
, Leicestershire, he went on to become one of the town's first traffic warden
Traffic warden
A traffic warden is a non-warranted officer employed by a statutory authority in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Ireland, to assist in regulating the flow of traffic.- Ireland :...
s. In later life he moved into a care home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Melton, where he died in February 2008 at the age of 84.
Honours
with Birmingham City- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champions: 1954–55 - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalists: 19561956 FA Cup FinalThe 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
Career statistics
| Club | Season | Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials... |
Total | |||||
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
1946–47 | Second Football League Second Division From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams... |
16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 1947–48 | Second | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 1948–49 | Second | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |||
| Total | 78 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 80 | 5 | ||||
| Birmingham City Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the... |
1948–49 | First Football League First Division The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship.... |
9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 1949–50 | First | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |||
| 1950–51 | Second | 36 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 3 | |||
| 1951–52 | Second | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| 1952–53 | Second | 40 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 47 | 5 | |||
| 1953–54 | Second | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |||
| 1954–55 | Second | 39 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |||
| 1955–56 | First | 32 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 3 | |
| Total | 255 | 14 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 281 | 14 | ||
| Career total | 333 | 19 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 361 | 19 | ||