In this series at Everything Orient, we take a look back at ex-Orient players and see where their careers have taken them since their departure from Brisbane Road.
Mike Pinner was an England and Great Britain international goalkeeper, who played for his country on 52 occasions and for Great Britain three times in two separate Olympic games.
He played for twelve football clubs, which included Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea on an amateur basis and Leyton Orient on a semi-professional basis over a 20 year career.
He had a day job as an investment solicitor, which he refused to leave as he earnt more money in law than the maximum wage paid to a professional footballer of £12 per week.
Michael John Pinner, born on 16th February 1934 in Boston, Lincolnshire, attended Boston Grammar School and made his first senior football appearance at the age of 14 for Notts County reserves. He later went attended Cambridge University where his love of football brought him the captaincy of the team in his final year. He later trained as a solicitor while playing for home town team Boston United, thus his life plan was set.
He made his debut for England amateurs against Wales in 1954, becoming first choice for the Olympic team in Australia but gained an injury before the first game and therefore didn't feature.
In 1958 he made his first official appearance with the Great Britain team in the Rome Olympics, in which he played in all three matches, he also, played in two qualifying matches for the 1964 Olympics, but turned semi professional for Orient, thus, he wasn’t able to play in his third Olympics.
Having played four matches for Manchester United, when Harry Gregg was injured he was a good replacement for long term Orient goalkeepers, Bill Robertson and Frank George. Mike joined Orient in 1962, during the clubs only season in Division One and made his debut on the 29th October in a 5-1 defeat to Spurs.
He very quickly became a fans favourite and I can remember he was the first goalkeeper I had ever seen mark the centre of the six yard box by running his studs across the line. He proceeded to consistently appear to pick up any small piece of paper or whatever was in his goal mouth, which he did for the whole match. I never realised the goal mouth was so dirty! He also seemed, to me at least, to walk on tip toes when cleaning his goal mouth.
Orient was also the only club to be able to tempt him into a semi-professional relationship. He stayed in east London for three years until 1965, making 77 appearances before moving on to Lisburn Distillery in Belfast where he retired from football almost 20 years after making his debut. He was also the last amateur to play in the top flight of English football, playing for Chelsea when Peter Bonetti was injured.
Upon retirement from football, he progressed his career as a lawyer specialising in investment and working for many big corporate clients including Land Securities. He then went onto become a successful property developer, before finally retiring from business and living in London.
Mike Pinners love of the game was supported by his skills as a lawyer, and the two careers combined to give him probably the perfect combination of lifestyle. Orient obviously proved to be the biggest temptation for him and possibly his best period in the game, having made 113 career appearances, with 77 coming during his time at the club.
Great goal-keeper. Could have been a top professsional, but the economics were against it then. Many amateurs and semi-professionals couldn't afford to turn full time pro. Mike's was an extreme example as he was a London solicitor obviously earning very good money. He was well known as a willing stand-in for London clubs with a goal keeping emergency, and it was said he kept a pair of boots in his office in case he got an urgent phone call ! A newspaper ran a page spread article about him headed "Send for Pinner."
Can't work out who he played his regular football with before he joined Orient, given that he was regular England amateur keeper for years, winning 52 caps.