Ernie Machin (26 April 1944 – 22 July 2012) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. After unsuccessful trials with

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

he was playing for

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, when

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...

scout Alf Walton recommended him to

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...

, then the

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

manager, and he became one of Hill's first signings in 1962. He made his debut against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

on 8 April 1963 and went on to make 289 appearances for the club, a figure which would have been considerably higher had it not been for long-term knee injuries. He was a key player in Coventry's promotions from Division Three in 1964 and Division Two in 1967, scoring 11 goals in the latter season including several late winning goals and the first goal in the classic 3–1 victory over

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

in April 1967. After leaving

in 1972 he spent two years with

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

and made such an impression that he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2004, and was also included in their ''Team of the Century''. He finished his playing career with

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

before returning to Coventry City as a coach in 1976."Ernie Machin profile"
Neil Brown. Retrieved 19 May 2011. He died in July 2012 after several years of poor health but was able to attend a reunion of the 1967 promotion team in 2007 and the CCFPA Legends'Days in 2011 & 2012. In 1972, he became the first English football player to successfully challenge a fine and suspension by

the Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

in the English courts. He was sent off in a game apparently for kicking an opponent, however TV evidence showed that he was innocent; nevertheless the FA noticed something else which he had done and upheld the disciplinary action on the basis of that without allowing him to present a defence. The courts ruled against the FA, and the PFA established the rights of players to legal representation in disciplinary cases. He died in July 2012, aged 68.

Honours

* Coventry City Hall of Fame

References

External links

Ernie Machin
at English Football Cards {{DEFAULTSORT:Machin, Ernie 1944 births 2012 deaths People from Walkden Footballers from Greater Manchester Sportspeople from the City of Salford Men's association football midfielders Nelson F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players English Football League players English men's footballers 20th-century English sportsmen