Bernard Hall (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bernard Raymond E. Hall | ||
| Date of birth | 8 July 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Bath, England | ||
| Date of death | 4 November 2025 (aged 83) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–1958 | Twerton Youth Club | ||
| 1958–1959 | Bristol Rovers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1967 | Bristol Rovers | 163 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bernard Raymond E. Hall (8 July 1942 – 4 November 2025) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in The Football League for Bristol Rovers.
Career
Hall was born in Bath, and played for Twerton Youth Club before joining Bristol Rovers as a junior in 1958. A year later he turned professional at the age of seventeen, but it was a further three and a half years before he finally made his League debut, on 20 April 1962 against Charlton Athletic. He finally established himself as the first choice between the sticks after the then incumbent 'keeper Esmond Million received a lifetime ban from football in 1963 for accepting a bribe to throw a game against Bradford Park Avenue.[1]
Following the Million scandal, Hall then played in Rovers' next 134 consecutive games in all competitions. In total, he played 163 League games for the Rovers having his career prematurely ended on 31 December 1966 at the age of 24. On that day he challenged Middlesbrough forward John O'Rourke for the ball, but the pair collided so severely that it knocked Hall out and left him in a coma in Frenchay Hospital for sixteen days. Although he recovered from this incident sufficiently to live a normal life, he was unable to resume his football career. He later took on the job of groundsman of the Imperial Sports Ground in Knowle, Bristol.
Death
On 4 November 2025, Hall died at the age of 83.[2][3]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 1959–60 | Division Two | 0 | 0 |
| 1960–61 | Division Two | 0 | 0 | |
| 1961–62 | Division Two | 2 | 0 | |
| 1962–63 | Division Three | 8 | 0 | |
| 1963–64 | Division Three | 46 | 0 | |
| 1964–65 | Division Three | 46 | 0 | |
| 1965–66 | Division Three | 43 | 0 | |
| 1966–67 | Division Three | 18 | 0 | |
| Total | 163 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ Dan Warren (14 July 2006). "The worst scandal of them all". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- ^ "Bernard Hall RIP". Bristol Rovers Supporters Club. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ Bernard Hall
Sources
- Jay, Mike; Byrne, Stephen (1994). Pirates in Profile: A Who's Who of Bristol Rovers Players. Bristol: Potten, Baber & Murray. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-9524835-0-5.
- Gerry Prewett (14 June 2009). "Rovers Legends: Bernard Hall". Bristol Rovers Football Club. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.