Noel Brotherston

Noel Brotherston
Personal information
Full name Noel Brotherston[1]
Date of birth (1956-11-18)18 November 1956[1]
Place of birth Dundonald,[1] Northern Ireland
Date of death 6 May 1995(1995-05-06) (aged 38)[1]
Place of death Blackburn,[1] England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1977 Tottenham Hotspur 1 (0)
1977–1987 Blackburn Rovers 317 (40)
1987–1989 Bury 38 (4)
1988 → Scarborough (loan) 5 (0)
1989 Motala AIF
International career
1978 Northern Ireland U21 1 (0)
1980–1985 Northern Ireland 27 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Noel Brotherston (18 November 1956 – 6 May 1995) was an international footballer for Northern Ireland.[3]

Club career

A winger, Brotherston played in the Football League for Tottenham,[4] Blackburn Rovers,[5] Bury,[6] and Scarborough.[7]

Noel was well remembered for his characteristic hairstyle that seemed to emphasise his jinking runs down the wing. He was a fans' favourite at Blackburn.[8]

International career

Brotherston made his debut for Northern Ireland in a May 1980 friendly match against Scotland and won 27 international caps, scoring three goals. He represented his country in three FIFA World Cup qualification matches[9] and played at the 1982 World Cup.

Brotherston played in a famous 1–0 win for Northern Ireland over Israel[10] that helped the team to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. He also scored the winning goal against Wales in 1980[11] to give Northern Ireland the Home Internationals Championship trophy in the Irish Football Association's centenary year.[12]

Personal life

Brotherston grew up in the town of Dundonald,[13] in the east of Belfast. He lived in Bright Street, East Belfast when he was a small boy. He attended Dundonald High School.[14]

He became a painter and decorator in Blackburn[8] when he retired as a player, and had two sons, Lee and Ryan. He died of a heart attack aged just 38.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Noel Brotherston". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Jackman, Mike (1994). Blackburn Rovers: the official encyclopaedia. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 36. ISBN 1-873626-70-3 – via Archive.org.
  3. ↑ Bob Goodwin (2017). "Brotherston, Noel". The Spurs Alphabet. Robwin Publishing House. pp. 57–58.
  4. ↑ superhotspur (16 November 2019). "Remembering former Spurs man Noel Brotherston:". superhotspur. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Three former greats to receive Honour Caps". www.rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Rovers hero's son terrified by Ewood 'lynch mob'". Lancashire Telegraph. 14 November 2006. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Where Are They Now? | Footballers | Noel Brotherston". www.where-are-they-now.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Where are they now? BBC Sport, 13 April 2007
  9. ↑ Noel Brotherston – FIFA competition record (archived)
  10. ↑ "Noel Brotherston - Northern Ireland Caps 1980-85 - Northern Ireland". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Brotherston wins 1980 Championship for NI". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Noel Brotherston". Noel Brotherston. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Noel Brotherson". Irish FA's Greatest Ever Team. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Activity, Extramural (3 April 2017). "Ballybeen Dream". Extramural Activity. Retrieved 3 July 2026.


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