Brian Croft

Infobox Football biography
playername = Brian Croft


fullname = Brian Graham Alexander Croft
nickname =
height = height|ft=5|in=9
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1967|9|27
cityofbirth = Chester
countryofbirth = England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Winger (retired)
youthyears = 1984-85
youthclubs = Chester City
years = 1985–1988
1988–1989
1989
1989–1992
1992–1995
1993–1994
1995
1995
1995
1995–1996
1996
2000
clubs = Chester City
Cambridge United
→ Grantham Town (loan)
Chester City
Queens Park Rangers
→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)
Blackpool
Torquay United
Southport
Stockport County
Bath City
Chester City
caps(goals) = 059 (3)
017 (2)
007 (1)
114 (3)
000 (0)
004 (0)
000 (0)
001 (0)
000 (0)
003 (0)
001 (0)
000 (0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 5 January 2008

Brian Graham Alexander Croft (born 27 September 1967 in Chester, England) is a retired English professional footballer who played as a winger. The majority of his Football League appearances were made for his hometown club Chester City in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Playing career

Croft joined Chester as a schoolboy, with his debut coming as a 17-year old substitute away at Peterborough United on 24 August 1985. Although that was to be his only league appearance during Chester’s promotion season from Division Four, he started two matches in the Freight Rover Trophy. Croft became much more involved in first team duty in 1986–87 when he featured in 21 league games, scoring his first league goal in a 3–1 win over Bristol Rovers in November 1986. This same period saw several other youngsters such as Chris Lightfoot and Colin Woodthorpe break through the Chester youth ranks and go on to enjoy long professional careers.

Croft opted to drop into Division Four with Cambridge United in October 1988, but after less than a year away he rejoined Chester. During his spell at Cambridge, Croft was loaned out to Grantham Town.

Back at Chester, Croft was to be a regular in the left wing berth over the next three years. In the summer of 1992 he made a surprise £60,000 to Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, but he was unable to make the first-team over the next three years. His only league action during this period came during a loan spell with Shrewsbury Town, playing four times midway through their 1993–94 Division Three title success.

Croft’s final league season was 1995–96, when he had brief spells with Blackpool, Torquay United, Stockport County and non-league sides Southport and Bath City.

In April 1999 Croft returned to Chester as Football in the Community officer [Cite news
title= Crofty’s Back
url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/april99news.asp
publisher= chester-city.co.uk (see 20 April)
date= 1999-04-20
accessdate= 2008-01-05] . The following March he registered again as a player [Cite news
title= New Signings
url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/march00news.asp
publisher= chester-city.co.uk (see March 23)
date= 2000-03-23
accessdate= 2008-01-05] . However, he was not included in any first-team matches as Chester were relegated out of the Football League. In October 2001 Croft moved to Macclesfield Town, again for a Football in the Community post [Cite news
title= Brian Croft
url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/october01news.asp
publisher= chester-city.co.uk (see October 25)
date= 2001-12-25
accessdate= 2008-01-05] .

External links

*soccerbase|id=1766
* [http://www.thegingerbreads.co.uk/gtfcstats/player.php?id=380 Grantham loan spell details and career summary]

Notes

References

*cite book | first=Chas | last=Sumner| coauthors= | title=On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City F.C. 1885-1997 | publisher=Yore Publications | location= | year=1997 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-874427-52-6
*cite book | first=John | last=Hardman| coauthors= | title=Alliance to Conference 1979-2004: The First 25 Years| publisher=Tony Williams Publications Ltd | location= | year=2004 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-869833-52-X
*cite book | first=Barry | last=Hugman| coauthors= | title=The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946-2005 | publisher=Queen Anne Press | location= | year=2005 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-85291-665-6