 Norwich City F.C. in 1959: Brennan seated on right | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Anderson Brennan | ||
| Date of birth | (1925-03-14)14 March 1925 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 1 January 2002(2002-01-01) (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Norwich, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left, winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Harland and Wolff Welders | |||
| 1943 | Bloomfield United | ||
| 1943–1947 | Distillery | ||
| 1947–1949 | Luton Town | 69 | (22) |
| 1949–1950 | Birmingham City | 39 | (7) |
| 1950–1953 | Fulham | 73 | (13) |
| 1953–1956 | Norwich City | 117 | (30) |
| 1956–1957 | Great Yarmouth Town | ||
| 1957–1960 | Norwich City | 108 | (14) |
| 1960–1961 | King's Lynn | ||
| International career | |||
| 1949–1950 | Northern Ireland | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Anderson Brennan (14 March 1925 – 1 January 2002) was a professional footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League, which included 225 matches for Norwich City, and was capped five times for Northern Ireland. He played as an inside left or winger.
Life and career
Born in Belfast, Brennan began his career in his home country of Northern Ireland, firstly with Harland and Wolff Welders and then Bloomfield United and Distillery. He moved to England in 1947 to join Luton Town. He subsequently moved to Birmingham City in 1949 and Fulham in 1950.
Brennan's first spell with Norwich City lasted from 1953 to 1956. He left the club to play for Great Yarmouth Town before returning to Norwich in 1957. In the 1958–59 season, Brennan was a member of the Norwich team that reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup as a Third Division side. It was one of the most famous FA Cup runs in the history of the competition, as the club beat First Division teams Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur along the way. In the semi-final against his former club Luton, Brennan scored Norwich's equaliser in the first match at White Hart Lane before the team lost the replay at St Andrew's, Birmingham.
Brennan left Norwich for the second time in 1961 to join King's Lynn.
In 2002, Brennan was made an inaugural member of the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame.
He died in Norwich in 2002.
References
- For infobox stats: "Bobby Brennan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Bobby Brennan". NIFG. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Bobby Brennan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
Sources
- Canary Citizens by Mark Davage, John Eastwood, Kevin Platt, published by Jarrold Publishing, (2001), ISBN 0-7117-2020-7
- 1925 births
- 2002 deaths
- Association footballers from Belfast
- Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
- Men's association football wingers
- Men's association football inside forwards
- Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers
- Northern Ireland men's international footballers
- Lisburn Distillery F.C. players
- Luton Town F.C. players
- Birmingham City F.C. players
- Fulham F.C. players
- Norwich City F.C. players
- Great Yarmouth Town F.C. players
- NIFL Premiership players
- English Football League players
- Southern Football League players
- Expatriate men's footballers in England