Brian Kenneth Edgley (26 August 1937 – 18 February 2019) was an English 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 played as an

inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

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 ...

for

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

and

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

. He later played in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and had a 10-year

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

career in the latter country.

Playing career

Shrewsbury Town

Edgley began his career at hometown

Third Division South The Third Division South of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

club

in 1955. He made his first team debut in January 1956 and signed his first professional contract the following month. Having begun his career as a

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

, the Shrews' relegation to the Fourth Division in 1958 saw Edgley break into the team on a regular basis as an

, making 32 appearances and scoring five goals to help propel the club back into the Third Division with a fourth-place finish in the 1958–59 season. He missed just five league games and scored seven goals during the 1959–60 season as Shrewsbury narrowly missed out on a second successive promotion. Edgley departed the club at the end of the season, having made 113 league appearances and scored 12 goals in five years at

Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...

Cardiff City

Edgley moved up to the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

to sign for

in a £6,000 deal prior to the start of the 1960–61 season. He had a forgettable season with the Bluebirds, making just 10 league appearances, but his only goal for the club came with a strike in a memorable 3–0 win over

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...

on 26 November 1960. He left the club at the end of the season.

Brentford

Edgley dropped to back to the Third Division to sign for

in June 1961. He scored 12 goals in 33 games during a disastrous 1961–62 season, in which the Bees were relegated to the Fourth Division. Edgley found it difficult to settle at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...

(having failed to relocate from

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

to London) and looking for a quick move away, he signed a month-to-month contract at the start of the 1962–63 season. Now behind new signing John Dick in the pecking order, Edgley made just five appearances before departing in November 1962. He made 45 appearances and scored 13 goals during his time with the Bees.

Barnsley

Edgley joined Third Division club

in November 1962, but managed just four league appearances for the Tykes.

Non-League football

After leaving

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

football, Edgley returned to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and played for

non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

clubs

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

and

Caernarfon Town Caernarfon Town Football Club () is a professional Welsh football club based in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. They play in the . They are nicknamed "the Canaries" because of the club's yellow and green strip, a nickname that dates from 1895. Caernarfon ...

South Africa

In 1966 and 1967, Edgley played in

for

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

clubs Addington, Arcadia United and

Cape Town City A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used thr ...

Return to non-League football

Edgley returned to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1968 and made one appearance for Southern League Premier Division club

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

in a

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup (), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions ...

semi-final win over Newport County on 23 March 1968. He also had a spell with

West Midlands (Regional) League The West Midlands (Regional) League is an English association football competition for semi-professional and amateur teams based in the West Midlands county, Shropshire, Worcestershire, southern Staffordshire and northern Herefordshire. It has tw ...

club GKN Sankey.

Australia

Edgley moved to

in 1970 and played for

Ringwood City Ringwood City Soccer Club is an Australian soccer club from Ringwood, a suburb of Melbourne. The club was formed in 1953 as Wilhelmina by Dutch Australians. The club currently competes in Victorian State League Division 4 East, where it has b ...

Mooroolbark United Mooroolbark Soccer Club is an Australian soccer club based in Mooroolbark, an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The club currently plays in Victorian State League Division 2. History Founded by two Dutch men, they formed a Dutch t ...

(for whom he top-scored in the 1973 and 1974 seasons) and Balgownie Rangers.

Management career

Caernarfon Town

Edgley had a short spell as

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

of Welsh League (North) club Caernarfon Town between June 1965 and January 1966. After his departure, the Canaries went on to win the 1965–66 division title.

Australia

Edgley had a 10-year management career in

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

regional football, managing Ringwood City, Balgownie Rangers, Mooroolbark United (two spells), South Melbourne Hellas, Doveton, Frankston City, Essendon Croatia and

Preston Makedonia Preston Lions Football Club (formerly Preston Makedonia Soccer Club) is a semi-professional soccer club from Preston, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club was established in 1947 to play non-professional soccer matche ...

. He won the Victorian Metropolitan League First Division title with Mooroolbark United in 1973, received the Victoria Soccer Coach of the Year award in 1975 and later managed the club in the

inaugural In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

season, finishing bottom and suffering relegation back to the regional leagues. Edgley won a Victorian State League and Cup double with Preston Makedonia in the 1980 season.

Personal life

Edgley attended the Monkmoor Boys' School in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

. After his retirement from football, Edgley settled in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and became a businessman. After his retirement from business, he and his wife settled on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...

Honours

As a player-manager

Mooroolbark United * Victorian Metropolitan League First Division: 1973

As a manager

Preston Makedonia *

Victorian State League The Victorian State League, known as VETO Sports State League for sponsorship purposes is an Australian soccer league based in Victoria that was founded in 1958 and administered by Football Victoria. It consists of five divisions (separated by ...

: 1980 * Victorian Cup: 1980

As an individual

* Victorian Soccer Coach of the Year: 1975

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgley, Brian 1937 births Footballers from Shrewsbury English men's footballers Brentford F.C. players English Football League players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Merthyr Tydfil F.C. players Men's association football wingers Men's association football inside forwards English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Australia National Football League (South Africa) players Caernarfon Town F.C. managers Caernarfon Town F.C. players Addington F.C. players Arcadia Shepherds F.C. players Cape Town City F.C. (1960) players English expatriate sportspeople in South Africa English expatriate football managers Southern Football League players Hereford United F.C. players GKN Sankey F.C. players Ringwood City SC players Ringwood City SC managers National Premier Leagues managers Balgownie Rangers FC players Balgownie Rangers FC managers Mooroolbark Soccer Club players Mooroolbark SC managers South Melbourne FC managers National Soccer League (Australia) managers Melbourne Knights FC managers Preston Lions FC managers English football managers 2019 deaths 20th-century English sportsmen