Brian Birch (footballer, born 1938)

Brian Birch (born 9 April 1938) is an English former footballer who played for the majority of his career at Bolton Wanderers. He played mainly as an outside right.

Brian Birch
Personal information
Full name Brian Birch[1]
Date of birth (1938-04-09) 9 April 1938
Place of birth Southport, Lancashire,[1] England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Outside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1964 Bolton Wanderers 165 (23)
1964–1967 Rochdale 61 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Birch made his debut for Bolton at the age of 16 in the autumn of 1954 but did not make the regular first team until the 1957–58 season. He was an ever-present in Bolton's victorious FA Cup run. He remained a regular up to the 1961–62 season but was pushed out of the team by the arrival of Brian Pilkington. Staying on the fringes for three more years he finally made the short journey across Lancashire to Rochdale, where he remained for three more years before moving into non-league football.

Birch was a schoolboy international, and was capped by England at youth level.[1]

Birch is the grandfather of Canadian footballer Will Johnson.

References
  • Ivan Ponting and Barry Hugman (1994). The Concise Post War History of Bolton Wanderers. Repvern Publishing. ISBN 1-869833-27-9.
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–1998. Queen Anne Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-85291-585-8.
  2. Maurice Golesworthy (1965). Soccer Who's Who. The Sportsmans Book Club.
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