John Vincent

An apprentice in his early days with Birmingham City, he signed professional forms at St. Andrews in February 1964, by which time he had won representative honours with the England Youth side. He was a left sided attacking midfield player who could pass the ball well, and had an excellent shot from far out that saw him as a regular goalscorer throught his career. He became a popular player in a Birmingham side noted for its attacking style, and he eventually totalled 171 League appearances with 41 goals, moving on to Middlesbrough in a £40,000 transfer in March 1971. He repeated the feat of popularity with Middlesbrough, but failed to settle in the area and was glad to get a move to South Wales when Jimmy Scoular signed him for £35,000 following 40 League appearances in which he managed 7 goals. He scored on his debut for City and was an excellent performer for the rest of the season, but for some reason, once Jimmy Scoular was sacked, his form wavered somewhat. He eventually decided to leave professional football and went into business in the West Midlands, although he played on at non-league level for a number of seasons.