Linvoy Primus

Linvoy Stephen Primus MBE (born 14 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Born in Forest Gate, England, to Caribbean-born parents, Primus began his professional career at Charlton Athletic, where he made four league appearances.

Primus moved on a free transfer to Barnet and established himself as a first team regular in the lower divisions of English football before earning a £250,000 transfer to Reading.

A Bosman transfer to Portsmouth followed after three successful seasons at the Berkshire-based club.

Initially, Primus struggled to break into the team and had his progress hindered by injuries.

Primus was born the first child of Newton and Pauline Primus in Forest Gate Hospital, Forest Gate, Greater London on 14 September 1973.

His Jamaican-born mother worked as an orderly at Whipps Cross Hospital in nearby Leytonstone.

Primus' father, who was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, worked for Thames Water as an engineer.

His parents are practising Christians who took Linvoy to church and Sunday school when he was young.

In his autobiography he wrote that church was "a cold unwelcoming place" for him as a child but that it "instilled in [him] a very strong sense of right and wrong".

Primus attributed his desire to become a footballer from watching Ricky Villa's winning goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City in the 1981 FA Cup Final Replay.

He played his first game of football two years later in a match between two Cub Scout groups and, because of his performance, he was offered a trial with the Newham District Schools under-11's by one of the Cub Scout leaders who was the manager of the Newham team.

Primus was a striker or right winger at this time; in the team was future Portsmouth teammate Sol Campbell who played in midfield.

In Primus' early teenage years he played for his local Sunday league football club, Pretoria, based in Canning Town after being introduced by a school friend.

Charlton Athletic arranged a friendly match with Pretoria and Primus was offered the chance to join the Charlton associate schoolboys which he took.

For the last two years of his school life, Primus traveled to Greenwich twice a week to train with the team; in addition to this he played matches on a Sunday against the schoolboy teams of clubs such as Maidstone United and Dover Athletic.

Primus initially struggled to cope; he cited the "dog eat dog" nature and the "ambitious and aggressive" parents as factors but nevertheless he decided to see it through later remarking that it was a "very strong character building experience".

After finishing his GCSEs, where he achieved three A grades, Primus signed a two-year apprenticeship with Charlton.

He also received an offer from West Ham United, who were in a higher division, but he rejected this because he felt his first team opportunities would be greater at Charlton.

Primus was playing in various positions until the club's youth team coach, Colin Clarke, decided that he should play as a centre back, "I see you as a centre back, that way you can see everything you want in front of you".

Under the Youth Training Scheme, Primus was earning £35 a week while training with the youth and reserve teams as well as having cleaning duties.

He had to study Leisure Management at a nearby college which he disliked.

Primus, along with Jermaine Darlington, was chosen to travel to Charlton's temporary stadium Selhurst Park to lay out the kits and the boots for the senior players.

He admitted this may have earned him "Brownie points" with the youth management.

Primus began playing in the reserves under manager Alan Curbishley and, at the end of his apprenticeship, Primus was offered a one-year professional contract by the new youth team coach John Cartwright.

Darlington was the only other apprentice who was offered a contract.

Due to injuries to first team centre backs Simon Webster and Darren Pitcher, Primus made his professional debut against Birmingham City.

The match took place at their substitute stadium Upton Park in November 1992 and Primus was awarded man of the match for his performance.

Primus played the next two matches against Leicester City and Brentford but was disappointed with his performances.

Primus made two further first team appearances in the 1992–93 season but soon found himself lower in the pecking order after other players returned from injury and Primus got injured.

He felt that he had to leave the club: "I really felt as though I wasn't wanted and that my days were numbered."

But the 2002–03 season signaled a change in direction as Primus broke into the first team and won Portsmouth fan's player of the season as well as the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for his division.

For the next three seasons Primus was in and out of the first team and worked under three managers: Harry Redknapp, Velimir Zajec and Alain Perrin.

The 2006–07 season was the last injury-free season for Primus as a career-threatening knee injury meant he would not make an appearance the following season.

In 2007, he released his autobiography, titled Transformed, which details his conversion to Christianity.

Primus went out on loan to former club Charlton and made 10 appearances and one further appearance for Portsmouth before retiring through injury in December 2009.

The Milton End stand at Fratton Park was renamed the 'Linvoy Primus Community Stand' because of his outstanding services to the club.

Primus, who is married and has three children, is known for his Christian charity work.

He is involved in the Christian charity 'Faith & Football' and walked the Great Wall of China to raise £100,000 for their cause.

Other charitable causes he has been involved in are the Alpha course, a cinema advertisement about Christianity and the formation of a prayer group at Portsmouth.