Ian Brightwell

Football player infobox
playername = Ian Brightwell


fullname = Ian Robert Brightwell
height =
nickname =
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1968|4|9|df=yes
cityofbirth = Lutterworth
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Unattached
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1986–1998
1998–2000
2000–2002
2002
2002–2004
2004–2007
clubs = Manchester City
Coventry City
Walsall
Stoke City
Port Vale
Macclesfield Town
caps(goals) = 321 (18)
000 0(0)
081 0(0)
004 0(0)
037 0(0)
021 0(0)
nationalyears = 1988–1989
nationalteam = England U21
nationalcaps(goals) = 004 0(2)
manageryears = 2007–2008
managerclubs = Macclesfield Town

Ian Robert Brightwell (born 9 April 1968 in Lutterworth, Leicestershire) is an English former footballer and manager, whose most recent job was at Macclesfield Town. However he is probably best remembered for his time at Manchester City.

Brightwell is the son of Olympic gold medalist Ann Packer and 400m runner Robbie Brightwell and grew up in Congleton. His younger brother David also played for Manchester City.

Manchester City

Brightwell began his career at Manchester City, where he signed schoolboy forms at the age of 14. He was part of the 1986 FA Youth Cup winning team that also included the likes of Paul Lake and David White, who also broke into the first team in the mid-1980s.

Brightwell made his City debut on 23 August 1986 against Wimbledon. He was a versatile player who played at every single outfield position during his career at the club. However, he was most commonly used either as a right-back or as on the right side of midfield. He was capped several times by England Under-21. He did not score many goals, but did memorably shoot into the top corner from 25 yards on 3 February 1990, to earn City a draw at Manchester United.

In early 1993, Brightwell snapped his patella tendon, and was sidelined for more than a year. He did eventually recover, and returned to the City lineup where he remained through most of the 1990s. Unfortunately, his last year at City coincided with the team's worst season ever – the 1997/98 season that ended with relegation to the third level for the first and only time in the club's history.

At the end of the ill-fated 1997/98 season, after 378 first-team appearances for City, Brightwell had a testimonial match and was given a free transfer, joining Coventry City.

Macclesfield and other clubs

Two years later, having spent all of his Coventry career on the bench, he joined Walsall for an eventful two year spell which saw relegation and a dramatic Division Two play-off final win in May 2001. He later had spells with Stoke and Port Vale.

Brightwell joined Macclesfield as a reserve team coach in the summer of 2004. However, he remains registered as a player, and has played sporadically for the Silkmen in the 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. He was appointed caretaker manager of Macclesfield on 2 October 2006 after the sacking of manager of Brian Horton, before the board appointed Paul Ince as permanent manager on 23 October 2006.

Ince resigned on 24 June 2007 to take over at MK Dons, upon which Macclesfield appointed Brightwell as permanent manager, with Asa Hartford as his assistant.

He and Hartford left the club in Feb 2008 after a poor run of results and was replaced by former Lincoln boss Keith Alexander.

Managerial stats

External links

*soccerbase|id=979
*soccerbase (manager)|id=2047