Brian Irvine (footballer)

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Brian Irvine
Brian Irvine (3446110960).jpg
Personal information
Full name Brian Irvine
Date of birth (1965-05-24) 24 May 1965 (age 56)
Place of birth Bellshill, Scotland
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1]
Position(s) Central defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1985 Falkirk 38 (0)
1985–1997 Aberdeen 306 (28)
1997–1999 Dundee 69 (4)
1999–2003 Ross County 120 (13)
Total 533 (45)
National team
1990–1994 Scotland 9 (0)
Teams managed
2006 Elgin City
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Brian Irvine (born 24 May 1965 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a former international footballer who played as a central defender for Falkirk, Aberdeen, Dundee, Ross County and managed Elgin City. He was capped nine times by Scotland.[2][3]

Career[]

After working in a bank on leaving school,[3] Irvine began his professional career with Falkirk in 1983, aged 18.[4] During his spell with the Bairns, he became an evangelical Christian.[4][2][3]

After two years and nearly forty league appearances at Brockville, Irvine moved to Aberdeen, the team he had supported as a child,[3] for a fee of £110,000.[3] During twelve years with the Dons, Irvine made over 350 appearances in all competitions, gradually becoming a regular in the defence alongside Alex McLeish as veteran captain Willie Miller's career came to an end.[2] [1]

Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup in 1990, with Irvine scoring the winning penalty in a 9–8 shootout win against Celtic in the final,[4][2][3][5] having also scored in the quarter-final and semi-final.[6][2] He had already come on as a substitute in the League Cup final victory in the same season,[2] and played a part in two other finals[7] and five runners-up finishes in the Scottish Premier Division[8] (losing out to Rangers on every occasion), as well as helping the club avoid what would have been a first-ever relegation via a play-off in 1995.[9] He took over in goals in emergencies (if the goalkeeper was injured or sent off) on several occasions, saving a penalty in a match against Hibernian in 1991.[1][10]

In June 1995 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,[2][3] returning to action four months after the diagnosis.[4] Irvine left Pittodrie in 1997 (following a testimonial match against Wimbledon)[11] and moved to Dundee, featuring nearly 70 times in two years. In 1999, Irvine moved to Ross County, where he finished his playing career in 2003.[3]

Coaching career / later work[]

After retiring, Irvine stayed with County as a coach, taking his first managerial job in January 2006 with Elgin City.[12] In December that year, with the club bottom of the table, Irvine left the club.[13][2] In March 2009, Irvine was named assistant manager to Martin Rennie of USL First Division side Carolina RailHawks FC. He was previously Rennie's assistant at USL-2 side Cleveland City Stars.[2]

He has been involved in charity work,[2][3] and in 2016 became a police officer.[6]

Honours[]

Aberdeen[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Brian Irvine". AFC Heritage Trust. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Andrew Smith (1 December 2003). "Brian Irvine on past glories and Aberdeen revival". The Scotsman. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Brian Irvine - Footballer". Evengelical Alliance. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Brian Irvine's Story". Christians Together in the Highlands and Islands. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. ^ Don Morrison (13 May 1990). "Cheers and tears". Sunday Mail. The Celtic Wiki. Retrieved 27 October 2018 – via The Celtic Wiki.
  6. ^ a b Charlie Allan (21 April 2017). "Aberdeen hero-turned-policeman Brian Irvine believes Dons can lock up the cup this year". Evening Express. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Football: Hateley cleans up for Rangers". The Independent. 29 May 1993. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Flashback: 1991, Mark Walters and Scott Booth recall their part in Smith's maiden final-day triumph". The Herald. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  9. ^ David McKinney (26 May 1995). "Aberdeen find form to preserve Premier status". The Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Snelders hits a bad note". The Herald. 25 November 1991. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Match Report: Aberdeen 1 - 2 Wimbledon". AFC Heritage Trust. 26 March 1997. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Irvine takes over as Elgin boss". BBC News. 26 January 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  13. ^ "Irvine set to step down at Elgin". BBC News. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2009.

External links[]

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