Bryn Elliott

Bernard Harry "Bryn" Elliott (3 May 1925 - 15 February 2019) was an English retired footballer who played as a half-back in the 1940s and 1950s. He started his career at Nottingham Forest, before joining Southampton in 1949, where he was to remain for the next ten years.[1]

This article is about the English football player. For the American singer, see Brynn Elliott.

Bryn Elliott
Personal information
Full name Bernard Harry Elliott
Date of birth (1925-05-03)3 May 1925
Place of birth Beeston, England
Date of death 15 February 2019(2019-02-15) (aged 93)
Place of death Southampton, England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Half-back
Youth career
Beeston Lads Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942–1949 Nottingham Forest 10 (0)
1949 Boston United
1949–1959 Southampton 235 (2)
1959–1960 Poole Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Elliott was born in Beeston, near Nottingham and was educated at Beeston Fields School. He was a member of the Beeston Lads Club during World War II who played and defeated local Football League clubs, Notts County and Nottingham Forest.[2]

Elliott was signed by Forest in October 1942 and remained with them until August 1949, making ten appearances in the Football League Second Division.[3] He then dropped down to non-league football, joining Boston United of the Midland League[4] from where, in October 1949, he was signed by Southampton's recently-appointed manager, Sid Cann, together with his team-mate Tom Lowder.[5]

He made his debut for the reserve team on 5 October 1949[6] before making his first-team debut on 25 February 1950 in front of a crowd of over 70,000 at White Hart Lane.[7] Elliott played at left-half in a 4–0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur; despite the result, he retained his place in the team for the next match, before returning to the reserves. At the end of the season, the "Saints" finished fourth in the Second Division, missing promotion on goal average, with Tottenham Hotspur being promoted as champions.[8]

Described as "the owner of a neat, precise style" with "enthusiasm, combined with forceful and tenacious tackling",[7] he soon became an established member of the Southampton side, making 23 league appearances in 1950–51[9] and 27 in the following season, in both of which Southampton finished mid-table.[10] In 1952–53, Elliott only missed one match in a defence that conceded 85 goals, with the team being relegated to the Third Division South for the first time in over 30 years.[11]

He was in-and-out of the side over the next few years, making 31 appearances in 1953–54,[12] 19 in 1954–55,[13] 36 in 1955–56[14] and 34 in 1956–57.[15] In 1957–58, he had two long runs in the side until he was dropped after a 5–2 defeat at Bournemouth in February 1958.[16]

Elliott spent the 1958–59 season in the reserves,[17] before he was released in the 1959 close season. In his ten years at The Dell, Elliott made a total of 251 first-team appearances, scoring twice.[7]

Later career

Following his release, he played part-time for Poole Town of the Southern League[7] (managed by former Southampton player Mike Keeping), along with Southampton teammates Pat Parker, Sam Stevens and Barry Hillier.

He ran an off-licence business in Waterloo Road in Freemantle until the 1990s and continued to play golf at Stoneham into his 90s.[7][18]

References
  1. "Bryn Elliott". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  2. "Lads' Club, Beeston – 1952/53 Football Team". www.beeston-notts.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. Hugman, Barry (1981). Football League Players Records (1946–1981). Aylesbury: Rothmans Publications. p. 132. ISBN 0-907574-08-4.
  4. Fox, Ken (2004). "Bryan Elliott (sic)". Boston United Roll Call. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  5. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 213. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  6. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. p. 434. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
  7. In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. p. 509.
  8. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. pp. 116–117. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  9. Saints – A complete record. p. 119.
  10. Saints – A complete record. p. 121.
  11. Saints – A complete record. p. 123.
  12. Saints – A complete record. p. 125.
  13. Saints – A complete record. p. 127.
  14. Saints – A complete record. p. 129.
  15. Saints – A complete record. p. 131.
  16. Saints – A complete record. p. 133.
  17. In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. p. 442.
  18. Simpson, Gordon (29 April 2015). "Former Saint looking forward to 90th birthday". Daily Echo. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
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