The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is currently unavailable
Boy Footballer
Lionel Martin is just fifteen years old but with eight top football clubs wanting to sign him his future appears mapped out.
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Overview
Like all school leavers Lionel Martin is thinking of his future. His dream of playing football for England is about to come a little closer with Aston Villa's Assistant Manager, Dick Taylor, taking time out to see the boy play. But what will the future hold? What if it doesn't work out? Will he have a trade to fall back on? Leslie Dunn takes the cameras down to his school at Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire to get a sense of what all the fuss is about.
Lionel Martin was signed by Aston Villa as an apprentice in July 1962. After playing for the reserves he saw first team action during the 1968/69 season. He didn't manage to achieve his dream of playing for England in a World Cup.
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