Larry May

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Given the briefest of teenage opportunities by both Jimmy Bloomfield and Frank McLintock, Larry began to exhibit his central defensive skills and strength most forcefully under Jock Wallace’s management supplying the pace in a fine partnership with John O’Neill.

In his early days at Filbert Street he also had a loan spell in the NASL with New England Tea Men, ironically from the city Foxborough a few miles west of Boston. Larry played four games before returning home. Other former foxes in the Tea Men squad was Keith Weller, Gerry Daly and Brian Alderson.

Larry May also went forward to claim some vital goals in the promotion seasons of 1980 (including the championship clincher at Brisbane Road) and 1983, and on the Cup semi-final trail of 1982. Larry’s aerial prowess and acute reading of the game were much appreciated by a Leicester crowd that was accordingly some what baffled when Gordon Milne accepted £110.000 from Barnsley for his talents on the very eve of the 1983/84.

Three and a half years and 122 League games later, Larry’s transfer value had almost doubled as Sheffield Wednesday swooped for his signature and returned him to the top flight, and the price was again high when the newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion took on Larry to plug their leaky Second Division defence. Sadly, a recurrent knee injury enforced Larry’s premature retirement in September 1989, and his stint as cash strapped Brighton’s reserve coach ended in redundancy in November 1993, though he stayed in Sussex as coach to local club Ringmer. He has in later years resided in the Brighton area and been Head of Sports Participation for Albion in the Community.

May struggled with a problematic knee during most of his time at Leicester City, and had to ice it down to keep on playing. At one time hailed as one of the most promising central defenders in England, being lined up to make the full England squad, and there were no doubt about his skills and ability to work that defense in the best way possible, but it was that knee that stopped his full international breakthrough.

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