Brian Bithell (born 5 October 1956) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Stoke City, Port Vale, Wimbledon, Macclesfield Town, Stafford Rangers, Congleton Town and Rhyl.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Bithell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1956[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Watford, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1977 | Stoke City | 17 | (0) |
| 1977 | → Port Vale (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1977–1978 | Wimbledon | 6 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | Macclesfield Town | 14 | (2) |
| Stafford Rangers | |||
| Congleton Town | |||
| Rhyl | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editBithell started his career with Stoke City.[1] He started 16 First Division games in the 1976–77 season, as both Tony Waddington and George Eastham proved unable to lead the "Potters" away from the relegation zone.[1] He never featured in the Second Division, and instead crossed the Potteries divide in September 1977 to spend time on loan with Roy Sproson's Port Vale in the Third Division.[1] He only played two games at Vale Park, before returning to the Victoria Ground the following month.[1] He joined Dario Gradi's Wimbledon in December 1977, featuring in six Fourth Division games towards the end of the 1977–78 season. After leaving Plough Lane he left the Football League, and later played for Macclesfield Town (Northern Premier League), Stafford Rangers (Northern Premier League), Congleton Town and Rhyl.[1] After retiring, he worked as a manager at a Tesco in Middlewich.[3]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Stoke City | 1976–77 | First Division | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Port Vale (loan) | 1977–78 | Third Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Wimbledon | 1977–78 | Fourth Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1978–79 | Northern Premier League | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| Career total | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 31. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ Rollin, Jack; Dunk, Peter (1976). Rothmans football yearbook. 1976-77. London : Queen Anne Press. ISBN 978-0-362-00259-1. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Brian Bithell". historicaldons.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Brian Bithell at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.