Martyn Neil Lancaster (born 10 November 1980) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He signed for Chester City in 1997 after a successful trial with the club, and played in the Football League and later the Football Conference. After making over 100 appearances for City, and winning the Conference League Cup in 2001, he was allowed to leave in early 2003. After 18 months with Leigh RMI, he played for a host of non-league clubs including Northwich Victoria, Stalybridge Celtic, and Southport.
Lancaster moved to the United States in 2005, initially to coach at a high school, but soon got the chance to play competitively again. After an unsuccessful trial with the Atlanta Silverbacks, he signed for USL Second Division club Wilmington Hammerheads in 2006. He impressed in his season with Wilmington and moved up a division to sign for the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2007. He had two successful seasons with Atlanta, including being runner-up in the USL First Division in his debut season, but the club went on hiatus in late 2008 so he was forced to move on. He moved back to the United Kingdom in early 2009 to join Scottish First Division club Queen of the South. He spent six months with Queens before being released at the end of the season. He signed for Swedish club Ljungskile in the summer of 2009, and despite winning the DM Cup, his tenure was short with the Superettan side.
In 2010, Lancaster moved back to the United States, signing for Miami FC who later change their name to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011. He spent two years with Fort Lauderdale, being runner-up in Soccer Bowl 2011, in what were his final appearances for the club. He returned to the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2012, who were now competing in the North American Soccer League. He was a key player in his second spell with Atlanta, becoming club captain, and leading the club to Soccer Bowl 2013 despite not playing in the championship game itself. After a short spell with National Premier Soccer League club Georgia Revolution in 2014, he retired from competitive football.
Early life
Lancaster was born in Billinge in Wigan, Greater Manchester. He lived in Haydock and attended Haydock High School. He grew up supporting Manchester United and was a keen admirer of centre-backs Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, describing them as "a rock at the back". He was also impressed by the play of Eric Cantona and described him as "a real special player for United".
Club career
Chester City
Lancaster joined Chester City after initially writing to the club asking for a trial. He played his way through the Youth Training Scheme before earning a place in the first team in late 1998. On 14 November 1998, Lancaster made his debut for Chester in the defeat against Cardiff City, he replaced Jonathan Cross in the 65th minute of the FA Cup first round tie at Ninian Park. Two weeks later he made his full debut for the club in the league defeat at Brentford. After impressing in his debut season, he picked up the Young Player of the Year award and was given a contract for the following season.
Lancaster played the full 90 minutes in the opening game of the 1999–2000 season; a 2–0 loss against Barnet at the Deva Stadium. He was sent off twice in the space of four days in August 1999, the first in the win against Port Vale in the League Cup first round, and the second in the league defeat at Rotherham United. He received a three match ban as a result. Lancaster impressed in the League Cup second round tie against Aston Villa despite Chester losing 6–0 on aggregate, and his performances earned him a trial at the Premier League club. In October, he went on a week's trial at Villa and played in a reserve team match against Blackburn Rovers, however no permanent move was made. He struggled to regain his place in the first team after the trial, and after a dismal display in the 7–1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in February 2000, he would not play again until the final day of the season when Chester were relegated from the Football League after 69 years.
Lancaster started to feature more prominently at the beginning of the 2000–01 season, as he began to start the majority of games under new manager Graham Barrow. Chester made it to the third round of the FA Cup; Lancaster featured in all the games including the qualifying round against Easington Colliery, the defeats of league clubs Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United in rounds one and two respectively, and finally the loss at Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. On 27 January 2001, he scored his first senior goal for Chester in the win against Morecambe, he scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the 13th minute. He played in both legs as City lost 4–0 on aggregate in the FA Trophy semi-final against Canvey Island in April. Lancaster concluded his season with silverware as Chester won the Conference League Cup after beating Kingstonian 4–2 on penalties following a 0–0 draw at Kingsmeadow.
Lancaster's first appearance of the 2001–02 season came in the defeat at Southport on 21 August 2001. He picked up his fifth booking of the season in the draw with Doncaster Rovers in October and was subsequently suspended for one match. On 13 November, Lancaster replaced Scott Ruscoe in the 80th minute of the Conference Championship Shield match against Rushden & Diamonds; the tie ended 2–2 after extra time with Chester losing 4–3 on penalties. He was transfer-listed by City in early December, and on 4 December he suffered a concussion in the game against Morecambe. On 1 April 2002, he scored his first goal of the season in the draw against Yeovil Town. Chester manager Mark Wright took the decision to sack Lancaster in May, it came after a number of serious incidents that breached club rules.
In June 2002, Lancaster was reinstated by the club and reported back for pre-season training. He had apologised for his wrongdoings the previous season, and after talks with the board, it was decided that he would be given another chance at the club with the understanding he would be on his last warning. His first appearance of the season came in the win against Burton Albion in September, he replaced Scott Guyett in the 26th minute and helped City extend their unbeaten run to 11 games. Lancaster was allowed to join Third Division club Lincoln City on trial in November but no permanent move was made. He made his final appearance for Chester in the defeat to Worksop Town in January 2003. He played the full 90 minutes as Chester were eliminated from the FA Trophy in the third round.
Leigh RMI
In January 2003, Lancaster signed for Conference club Leigh RMI. On 18 January, he made his debut in the win against Burton Albion at Eton Park. He scored his first goal for the club in the win against Forest Green Rovers on 29 March. A week later he was sent off in the defeat at Stevenage Borough. On 16 April, he played 61 minutes as RMI beat Kendal Town to win the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy. Lancaster ended his first season at Leigh with 13 league appearances and one goal as RMI avoided relegation. Manager Mark Patterson persuaded him to sign on at Leigh for another season despite having offers from other clubs.
Lancaster started the opening game of the 2003–04 season and played the full 90 minutes as RMI beat Dagenham & Redbridge 2–1 at Hilton Park. He received the second red card of his Leigh tenure on 13 September when he was sent off for violent conduct in the defeat at Gravesend & Northfleet. On 25 October, Lancaster played in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round defeat against Accrington Stanley. His first goal of the season came in March 2004 when he scored a last minute equaliser in the draw with Telford United. He finished the season with 33 league appearances and one goal as Leigh finished 21st in the table. However, the club were saved from relegation because of Margate's demotion due to complications with their ground. Lancaster was released in May 2004; RMI manager Phil Starbuck stating he was looking to rebuild the club with new players for the following season.
Leek Town
Lancaster signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Leek Town in August 2004. On 21 August, he made his debut in the league win against Bishop Auckland, however he was sent off in the closing stages of the game. He only made four appearances for Leek before leaving the club in September.
Northwich Victoria
Lancaster signed for Conference National club Northwich Victoria in September 2004, he joined the club when they were winless in the league and had just entered administration. He made his debut in the 0–0 draw with York City on 18 September, helping Victoria to their first clean sheet of the season. He made four more appearances, the last in the 3–0 defeat at Scarborough, before leaving the club in October.
Worksop Town
Lancaster joined Conference North club Worksop Town at the end of October 2004. On 30 October, he was an unused substitute in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw with Alfreton Town, but he left the club soon after.
Stalybridge Celtic
Lancaster signed for fellow Conference North club Stalybridge Celtic on 5 November 2004. He made his debut the following day when he played the full 90 minutes as Celtic beat Harrogate Town in the FA Trophy first round. Stalybridge won the tie 3–2 after being 2–0 down after 85 minutes. This was his only appearance for the club as he moved on again a few days later.
Southport
Lancaster signed for another Conference North club in November 2004 when he joined Southport. He made his debut on 22 January 2005 when he replaced Jimmy Williams in the win against promotion rivals Kettering Town. He made one more senior appearance, in the 3−1 win against Worcester City, before departing the club in February.
Ashton United
Lancaster signed for his fourth Conference North club of the season when he joined Ashton United in February 2005. On 5 March, he played in the league defeat against Vauxhall Motors.
Wilmington Hammerheads
In the summer of 2005, Lancaster went to the United States to coach at a high school, and after missing competitive football, he was persuaded to attend an open tryout for the Atlanta Silverbacks. However, Atlanta already had their full quota of international players so they passed on Lancaster. He was then put in touch with David Irving, who was head coach USL Second Division club Wilmington Hammerheads and a fellow Englishman, and he offered a Lancaster a trial. Once Irving saw Lancaster play, he signed him to a contract for the upcoming season. On 5 May, he made his debut in the draw with the Charlotte Eagles at Waddell High School. He scored his first goal for Wilmington on 18 June in the draw with the Harrisburg City Islanders at the Skyline Sports Complex. Lancaster impressed in the win against USL-1 side the Atlanta Silverbacks in the US Open Cup third round in July, however Wilmington lost to Major League Soccer side the New York Red Bulls in the next round. Overall he made 19 league appearances as the Hammerheads finished eighth place, leading the club in minutes played in the process, and also being eighth in the league as a whole.
Atlanta Silverbacks