Voting is now open for the standout Rovers player of the 1950s. This player will be the 25th Rovers legend inducted into the Hall of Fame.
As part of the 2019/20 celebrations of the club’s 140 year history, Rovers are inducting the standout player from each of the club’s 14 decades into the Hall of Fame.
Supporters are invited to vote for the player they want to see included from a shortlist compiled by club historian John Coyle. Voting will close on Thursday January 23 and the winner be announced at our upcoming Sky Bet League One match against Southend United.
You can read about the nominees below and vote at the bottom of this page.
PETER DOHERTY
The signing of Peter Doherty, one of the finest players of his generation, in 1949, represented a huge coup by Rovers. Doherty was hired as a player-manager and led his team to the Third Division (North) Championship in his first season. The Northern Ireland international forward scored 27 goals that season and followed up with 15 in Division Two in 1950-51. He continued as a plater until 1953, retiring just before his 40th birthday. He continued as Rovers manager until January 1958, by which time he had kept the club in Division Two for eight seasons. His overall playing record, of 60 goals in 109 appearances is highly impressive. He later managed Bristol City and took the Northern Ireland international team to the World Cup Finals in Sweden in 1958.
LEN GRAHAM
Left-back Len was one of Peter Doherty’s earliest signings, joining Rovers from his native Northern Ireland in October 1949. He went on to play for Rovers until 1958, making 312 League appearances and forming a fine partnership with Brian Makepeace. Len won 14 caps for Northern Ireland while with Rovers, making him our most capped player until his record was beaten by for 1958, the only current Rovers player to be included in a Finals squad. His overall record was 332 appearances with three goals, two of them from the penalty spot.
BERT TINDILL
The third-highest goal scorer in Rovers’ history, Bert originally made his mark as an outside-right but went on to play in every forward position. He joined Rovers in 1944, aged 18, and went on to play for the club until 1958, by which time he had made 429 senior appearances and scored 129 goals. He was an ever-present in the 1949-50 season as Rovers won the Division Three (North) Championship and remained a regular during the next eight seasons in Division Two. His best goalscoring season was 1955-56, when he scored 19 in all competitions, outscoring his inside-forward partner, the prodigious Alick Jeffrey. He went on to play for Bristol City and Barnsley.
BRIAN MAKEPEACE
Rossington-born Brian spent eleven seasons with Rovers, starting his first team career in 1950-51 with the club in Division Two. Over the years he missed very few games, being an ever-present in the 1955-56 season. He remains Rovers fifth-highest appearance maker. He formed a very useful full-back partnership with Ulsterman Len Graham and along with Bill Paterson and then Charlie Williams formed the defensive backbone of Peter Doherty’s team. In all he made 378 first team appearances before moving to Scarborough in 1961. He never once though managed to score a goal for Rovers!