'Robust, determined and indefatigable,' was another football scribe's impression, before dubbing him the sport's equivalent of the Rock of Gibraltar.
'Tough but air - the centre-half who never knows when he is beaten,' was one description of him. He quickly won the hearts and gained the admiration of Albion followers to become a legendary figure in the famous old black and amber. Tough but fair, he was considered the best defender in the old Birmingham League.
THE first man to ever wear the number 5 shirt for the Brewers - Nobby Hadfield was inducted into the Burton Albion Hall of Fame in 2021.Ī J 'Bert' Hadfield, better and more fondly known as Nobby, was described by former Burton Mail sports journalist Rex Page in his Burton Albion book 'Wellington Street to Wembley' as 'unquestionably the first man in the queue for the Burton Albion Hall of Fame'.Ī 26-year-old centre half, he took the No 5 shirt in the Brewers' first ever game in August 1950.
