Thanks, no thanks – Southend United

Thanks – Mark Hone

Hone was a former England semi-professional international midfield player who played for us under John Beck between 1996 and 1998. He was combative and committed, never one to shirk a tackle. He was sent off three times for us, all of those dismissals coming in the first half of games. The worst was his eighth-minute dismissal for a tough tackle on Paul Ellender in an FA Cup tie with Gainsborough.

There was much more to Hone’s game than tackling though, he was an integral part of the side that won promotion in 1997/98. He temporarily spared our blushes with a 116th-minute equaliser in the FA Cup game with Emley, although they got the last laugh on the night. He played his last game for the club against Colchester at the end of the 1998 season, and wasn’t retained as we got promoted.

Since then Hone has played local non-league football and is often heard on Radio Lincolnshire giving an expert opinion on Lincoln City and the local game in general. I’m sure he would want to be remembered for so much more than the man that nearly denied Paul Ellender the chance to father children.

He is also the father of Danny Hone, another fine servant of the club who played under the Steve Tilson amongst others. They are the fifth father and son team to represent the Imps, but the only pairing in this modern era.

Thanks to Southend letting Hone go, we got a great cup run, a strong midfielder and later a top central defender and someone who now breaks up the post-match analysis of the Imps with his thoughts on Boston United.