Brian Borrows
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Brian Borrows (born 20 December 1960) is an English football coach and former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who is a regional coach for the
Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
. As a player he was a defender from 1980 until 1999, most notably playing in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
for
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
, where he made 409 appearances, scoring 11 and winning the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. Prior to this he had played for both Everton and
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
. He finished playing career in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
with
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
and
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
. Following his retirement he had spells as assistant manager of both Coventry City and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
.


Career

Brian Borrows was born in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. He signed for
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
from
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
in 1985 and apart from the rare injury was the club's regular right back for nearly a decade, missing fewer than 20 games. Whilst the era produced such terrace favourites as Gibson, Bennett, Regis and Speedie, Borrows fell into that category of player who quietly went about their business season after season to an exceptionally high standard. A right back with first class spatial awareness and close ball control, in another era, (some City fans might say "at a more fashionable club") he might have been an England squad regular. Far from being a 'workmanlike' full-back, Borrows possessed a great cross and burst of speed which was used to great effect for forwards like Houchen, Speedie and Regis. He was also to play a key defensive role during the 1987 cup run, which included outstanding battling away displays against the likes of
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
(5th Round) and
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
(6th Round). Coventry would later go on to lift the trophy for the first time in their 104-year history against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. Unfortunately for Borrows, he twisted his knee just seven days before the 1987 FA Cup Final, and was forced to miss the game. As a result, his name was chanted many times that afternoon on 16 May 1987 from the Coventry sections of Wembley Stadium. He did however play a part in the Charity Shield showpiece versus Everton later that same year. He scored several times for Coventry City, mostly from free kicks and the penalty spot, and remains a very respected figure among former players and fans alike. His understanding with Trevor Peake,
Brian Kilcline Brian Kilcline (born 7 May 1962) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a centre half for Notts County, Coventry City, Oldham Athletic, Newcastle United, Swindon Town, Mansfield Town and Halifax Town, and was famous for his ...
and
Steve Ogrizovic Steven Ogrizovic (born 12 September 1957) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and cricketer. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1977 until 2000, the last 16 years of which were at Coventry City. Nicknamed "Oggy", he ...
formed the foundation stone upon which George Curtis and
John Sillett John Charles Sillett (20 July 1936 – 30 November 2021) was an English football player and manager. He played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle. He won the Championship with Chelsea in 1955, playing alongside his brother Peter ...
were able to rebuild the club's fortunes after years of under achievement. His playing career spanned some of the great changes in modern British football, from the pre-Sky era of open terracing to the super stadia and media saturation of the Premiership. 'Bugsy' as he was affectionately known at the club, made 474 total appearances scoring a total of 13 goals. He was voted Coventry City 'Player of the Year' for the 1989/90 season. He also secured a representative honour as an England 'B' cap in 1990.


Coaching career

He spent time coaching the Academy sides of his former club Coventry and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
before becoming a Regional Coach for the
Professional Footballers' Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
in the
Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...
area.


Personal life

Brian Borrows is included in the Coventry City Hall of Fame at the Ricoh Arena.


Honours

* Coventry City F.C. Hall of Fame


References

● Playfair football annuals


External links

*
Brian Borrows - Coventry City - Football-Heroes.netSwindon-Town-FC.co.uk- Brian Borrows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borrows, Brian Living people 1960 births Men's association football defenders English men's footballers Everton F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Premier League players Footballers from Liverpool Coventry City F.C. non-playing staff Derby County F.C. non-playing staff