Name: Frederick Thomas Middleton
Seasons Played: 1954/55-1962/63
Position: Wing-half
Date of Birth: 02.08.1930
Birthplace: West Hartlepool
League Debut: 11.09.1954, Ipswich Town (a), Div 2
League Games: 300
League Goals: 16
Career: Hartlepool Technical Day School Old Boys, Newcastle United, Elgin City (loan), LCFC, Skegness Town, Worksop Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Boston FC.

Fred Middleton was a popular wing-half who spent nine years at Sincil Bank between 1954 and 1963 and was only the third player after Dan McPhail and Tony Emery to complete 300 Football League appearances for the Imps.

Fred attended the Technical Day School in Hartlepool and on leaving began a plumbing apprenticeship playing for the school old boys' team in the local Churches League.

He did sufficiently well to gain selection for the Durham County Under 18s team and it was while playing for them that he was spotted by Newcastle United. He initially signed amateur forms for the Magpies but became a part-time professional after about a season.

In 1951 he was called up to the Army for two years' National Service and during this time he was loaned to Elgin City of the Highland League. After demobilisation in August 1953 he signed full-time terms but was unable to break into the Newcastle first team and after 12 months he moved on to sign for the Imps.

City were in a traditional stage at the time with members of the 1951/52 promotion side gradually being replaced by younger recruits.

Fred was soon promoted to the first team and made his debut at Ipswich along with another promising youngster Dick Neal who later went on to play for the England Under-23 team.

Fred scored what proved to be the winner in the 2-1 victory at Portman Road and went on to establish himself as the Imps' regular right-half for the next seven seasons replacing the legendary Doug Wright in that position.

After a couple of seasons of relative success the Imps regularly struggled to avoid relegation from the old Second Division. The most famous escape came in 1957/58 when they won the last six games to stay up. Fred played in the first two victories over Barnsley and Doncaster but then chipped a bone in his right foot and spent the remainder of the season as a spectator.

He was injured again in August 1961 and this time the cartilage problem marked the beginning of the end of his career.

After leaving Lincoln in the summer of 1963, Fred spent three years playing Midland League football and was a member of the Gainsborough Trinity team that won the league title in 1965/66 with his former Imps' colleague Russell Green in charge.

He returned to live in the north-east in 1967 and concluded his career with two seasons of Sunday football for Seaton Holy Trinity. Fred also played cricket, appearing for the West Hartlepool club as a youngster and later for Ruston Bucyrus after his move to Lincoln.

He spent 18 years working in the local steel works and then a further seven years working at the Linpac Plastics Factory in Hartlepool before taking retirement.

Profile adapted from an original article that appeared in the official LCFC matchday programme, season 1999/2000.