Leicester City In 100 Players: Steve Lynex
Winger Steve Lynex made 240 appearances for Leicester City between 1981 and 1987, scoring 60 goals playing alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Smith as part of a high-scoring attacking trio.
Born in West Bromwich, Steve arrived at Filbert Street in 1981 with a good reputation.
An FA Youth Cup winner with West Bromwich Albion in 1976, he joined Shamrock Rovers in August 1977, winning the Irish FA Cup in 1979. In 1980, playing for Birmingham City alongside Frank Worthington, he won promotion to the old First Division as runners-up to Jock Wallace’s Leicester City.
A few months later, in February 1981, Steve transferred to Filbert Street and suffered relegation at the end of his new club’s first season back in the top flight.
Steve hardly missed a game for the next five seasons, flourishing as a pacy orthodox winger with good dribbling skills and a great ability to beat any player who closely marked him. He also invariably scored from the penalty spot.
He was in the side which reached the FA Cup Semi-Final in 1982 having played as a temporary goalkeeper in the famous ‘three goalkeepers’ game against Shrewsbury Town in the quarter-final.
At the end of that season, Jock Wallace left the Club abruptly and was replaced as manager by Gordon Milne. In Milne’s first season at Filbert Street (1982/83) Lynex, Lineker and Smith (Wallace’s last signing before his departure) scored 49 goals between them. The season ended with an unbeaten 15-match run, resulting in Leicester being promoted back to the old First Division again.
City finished 15th in each of their first two seasons back in the top flight. In the first season (1983/84) that trio scored a total of 50 goals and Steve won the Player of the Year Award. They combined to net another 59 goals between them the following season, bringing their joint total to a very impressive 158 in three seasons.
Steve played for close two another two seasons for Leicester City but had differences with Bryan Hamilton, who became manager in June 1986 and in March 1987 he left Filbert Street for West Brom, after a short loan spell at Birmingham. He later played for Cardiff City.
Referring to his departure, Steve recently told us: “I was totally gutted to leave Leicester. I loved Leicester to bits: the fans, all the people inside the Club and the players. It really was, and still is, a great club to be at."
The fans were equally sorry to see Steve leave.