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60.s Despite hailing from a location some four hundred miles away, all of this winger’s career in professional football was spent in and around London, save for the occasional stay in Yorkshire and a visit to the place where, apparently, the first ever game of football was played, Two thirds of his career appearances were for Brentford, but his wanderlust meant that he was always tempted to see if the grass was greener elsewhere. His time at the aforesaid birthplace of football came after doing a decent job at Griffin Park, but his most successful period was while he was at an unwelcoming, raw and windy location where he took a team to heights not reached before or since. He returned to this place at the end of his career after a spell with some northern stripes, but could not repeat his earlier achievements – who is he?
70s. Another Scot, Brentford was a brief stop at the end of what was a pretty illustrious career for a man good enough to represent his country on a couple of occasions. Sharing his surname with a three time Brit award winner, his performances for a side from his birthplace earned him a big money move south to a side that played in the same colours as his first team. He would win a couple of trophies while he was at a place that, in some respects, seemed like the cultural centre of the world during the time he was there. A move further south kept him in the top flight as he switched from a midfield role to a more defensive one, but he was also fairly successful when used as an occasional striker. Reaching the end of his career, he moved sideways geographically, but down the divisions, to aid a fruity team who loaned him to a railway town for a while, before he played less than ten times for Brentford and then departed to the birthplace of grunge where he eventually moved into management – he did return to this country temporarily to become caretaker manager of one of his old clubs on a couple occasions though, can you name him?
80s. Plunder a woodworker and come up with City man who featured against Brentford during this decade.
90s. Magyar clues involved, but he was no Hungarian! (6,5)
00s. Arriving from a venue which has hosted the Winter Olympics, this defender was a regular member of Brentford sides which faced City during this decade. His performances for the Bees earned him many admirers from higher divisions, but they were unable to cash in on him because he moved on a Bosman to a high born outfit that set records galore during his second season with them. He had no trouble adapting to life in the Premier League, but a serious knee injury set him back and he struggled to hold down a regular place on his return. A move to the Trent did not go well and he was loaned out to Yorkshire cats and then to south coast blues. His release saw him taken on by past European trophy winners who also play in blue, but after being openly criticised by his manager following a defeat by Leeds, he left this country to go and play in Turkey only to return three years later for a three year stint at Rik Mayall’s birthplace – who am I describing?
10s. Who made what was one of only four starts for City when we last entertained Brentford?
Answers
60s. Glasgow born John Docherty had three spells with Brentford in a playing career which lasted from 1959 to 1976. Moves to Sheffield United and Reading interspersed his spells at Griffin Park and he ended his playing days at QPR, but never played a game for them. Moving into management, good work at Brentford and then Cambridge United persuaded Millwall to take him to Cold Blow Lane and he repaid them by taking them to their first, and only so far, promotion to the top flight. After doing very well in their debut season in the old First Division, Docherty and his side found it harder going second time around and they were on their way down when they sacked. After a spell at Bradford City which ended in 1991, he resurfaced at Millwall six years later, but he made little impact this time, lasting less than a season.
70s. Jimmy Gabriel’s £27,500 transfer from Dundee to Everton was a record for a Scottish player at the time and he clocked up over two hundred and fifty appearances with the Merseyside club, winning a league title and an FA Cup in the process. Southampton paid £42,500 for his services in 1967 and played nearly two hundred times for them before spending a couple of years at Bournemouth. He was loaned out to Swindon, before signing for Brentford in 1974, but he only played nine times for them before he crossed the Atlantic to sign for the Seattle Sounders who he managed for a couple of years from 1977. He has managed two other American sides and twice took over as caretaker boss at Everton during the nineties.
80s. Rob Turner.
90s. Marcus Gayle.
00s. Ibrahim Sonko signed for Brentford from Greenoble in 2002 and joined Reading two years later where he was an integral member of the 05/06 Reading side reckoned by many to be the best Championship side City have played since their return to that level in 2003 after a long absence. Sonko left Reading after their relegation from the Premier League and signed for Stoke, but he never reached the levels seen at his previous club and was loaned to Hull and Portsmouth before joining Ipswich – he played for Harlow Town between 2015-18.
10s. Liam Feeney.
