Brian Robert Attley (born 23 August 1955) is a Welsh former professional footballer. Able to play in either defence or midfield, he made over 200 appearances in The Football League during his career.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Robert Attley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 August 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Defender/Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1979 | Cardiff City | 79 | (1) |
| 1979–1982 | Swansea City | 89 | (6) |
| 1982–1984 | Derby County | 55 | (1) |
| 1982–1983 | → Oxford United (loan)[2] | 5 | (0) |
| 1984–1986 | Gresley Rovers | ||
| 1986–? | Stapenhill | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editAttley was born in Cardiff and attended Fitzalan High School.[1][3]
Career
editIn Wales
editAttley began his career at Cardiff City, where his uncle Len Attley had played in the 1930s, making his professional debut in March 1975 against Blackpool.[4] He was involved in the club's 1975–76 promotion season, scoring his first professional goal against Port Vale,[4] as well as their FA Cup run the following season.[5] He joined Swansea City in February 1979 for £20,000 and played for them in the First Division.[5] However, Attley was unable to hold down a starting place in the team at this higher level and fell out of favour.[6] In February 1982 he left the club to join Derby County in a £25,000.[5]
Derby County
editHe made his Derby debut against Leicester City on 6 February 1982 and altogether made 55 appearances for the Baseball Ground side.[7] He also spent part of the 1982–83 season on loan at Oxford United.
Non-league
editAttley left the Football League in the 1984 close season to sign for Gresley Rovers, having been convinced to sign by player-manager Roger Davies,[8] and made his debut for the club in August against Oldswinford. He remained with the club until 1986 when he joined Stapenhill for a time,[9] having been convinced to join the club by manager Mick Allsopp and an offer of a full-time job by one of the club's sponsors.[8] Attley left the game following his retirement and settled in Rhoose where he works in floor tiling.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Brian Attley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ Brian Attley at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- ^ "Double delight for Cardiff goal Wizard Attley". South Wales Echo. Cardiff, Wales. 2 February 2002. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via TheFreeLibrary.
- ^ a b Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ^ a b c d Swansea City past players Archived 27 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Caught in Time: Swansea City win promotion to the First Division, 1981
- ^ Brian Attley Derby County F.C.
- ^ a b "Attley's swan song". Burton Mail. 12 March 1986. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Brian Attley". Gresley F.C. Retrieved 18 September 2018.