Brian John Law (born 1 January 1970) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian John Law | ||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Merthyr Tydfil, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1991 | Queens Park Rangers | 20 | (0) |
| 1994–1997 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 31 | (1) |
| 1997–1999 | Millwall | 45 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 1990 | Wales | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editLaw began his career with Queens Park Rangers making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road in the final game of the 1987 season, making a total of 20 appearances for the side before being forced into retirement in 1991 due to a tendon injury. Law spent three years outside of football on a backpacking trip around the world, before returning in 1994 after discovering his injury was able to withstand the rigours of professional football. He joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were required to pay £34,000 to Law's insurance company for the compensation he had received on retirement and £100,000 to his former club, Queens Park Rangers. During his time with the Wolves, Law was arrested after driving a bus while drunk, later receiving a fine and community service.[1][2]
After initially beginning to establish himself in the first team, Law was forced to undergo ankle reconstruction surgery and never managed to regain his place in the side, eventually moving to Millwall in 1997. He made 47 appearances as club captain in all competitions during his first season at The New Den and remained a regular in the first team at the start of the following season before a knee injury forced him out of the side after less than one month of the 1998–99 season. He was later released by Millwall in 2000,[3] never playing professional football again.
International career
editLaw played for Wales U15 schoolboys, represented and captained the youth team at U16, U18, and U21s, as well as the B team against England at Tranmere (5/12/90).[4] Despite having only played a handful of games for Queens Park Rangers, Law was called up to the Wales senior squad in September 1988 (Holland) when, Rangers coach and Wales assistant manager, Peter Shreeves recommended him to Wales manager Terry Yorath after an injury crisis had resulted in a large number of withdrawals from the squad.[5] He was an unused substitute against Holland, Italy, and Malta; however, he was handed his debut on 25 April 1990 in a 4-2 defeat to Sweden.[6] Law was recalled to the squad, after his 2-year retirement from the game, for the 3-1 defeat away to Bulgaria (29/3/95).
After football
editFollowing his retirement, Law earned a degree in sports science after undertaking a three-year course at Roehampton University.[1] He later set up his own charities named Fit for Life and Sozo in 2003,[7] designed to give teenagers in Birmingham access to sports such as football, hockey and streetball as well as set up musical workshops, resulting in Urban Chart success, reaching Number 7 with 'Detention' Artist : C4 ft Romo.[8]
References
edit- Hayes, Dean P. (2004). Wales The Complete Who's Who of Footballers Since 1946. Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3700-9.
- ^ a b "Beginning a whole new life of Brian". Birmingham Mail. 26 May 2005. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "WolfWhistlePodcast". 24 January 2024.
- ^ Ley, John (10 August 2000). "Nationwide Division Two club by club". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ NationalFootballCollection. "Brian Law Caps – Wales U21 – 9-91". Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. p. 122. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ "Wales - International Results 1990-1999 - Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "Fit For Life - Inspiring a new generation of youngsters to succeed". fitforlifeintl.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "Rapping for Darwin". London: The Sunday Times. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2010.[dead link]
External links
edit- Brian Law at Soccerbase
