Brian Honour (born 16 February 1964) is an English former

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 made nearly 400 appearances 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 ...

playing as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

and mainly

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...

. He had a brief spell as joint

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...

of Hartlepool with Paul Baker in 1999, managed at

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 ...

level, and set up his own coaching school.

Early career

Brian Honour began his career as a schoolboy for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

before being released for too being too small. His brother John was a regular at Hartlepool during the 1970s. Brian moved onto

and stayed there for three seasons until he again was released by Darlington manager

Cyril Knowles Cyril Barry Knowles (13 July 1944 – 30 August 1991) was a footballer who played left-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the son of the rugby league footballer Cyril Knowles, and the older brother of fellow professional football ...

for being too small. He then had spells in the Northern League with Peterlee Newtown and Tow Law Town.

Hartlepool United

Pools boss Billy Horner signed Honour from Peterlee in 1985, and he stayed with the club until he was forced to retire because of persistent knee problems in 1994. He made 384 appearances for Pools in all competitions, putting him 8th on the club's all-time list. His debut was in a game with Peterborough in February 1985, his last in August 1994 in a League Cup game with Bury. One of his most memorable moments came in 1988 when during Hartlepool's 1–0 win over

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; it h ...

in the Associate Members' Cup, he scored the game's only goal direct from a corner. Pools reached the semi-final of the Northern section as a result of his wind-assisted goal but they lost to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

. A knee injury meant he missed the majority of the 1989–90 season and as he returned to action, Pools had a new boss in his former Darlington manager Cyril Knowles. Honour became a mainstay of Knowles' successful side, and secured promotion in May 1991. Two of Honour's goals during the promotion run-in were shortlisted for the North East Goal of the Season Award, both spectacular individual efforts in a win at Maidstone United. After promotion he remained with Pools and impressed at the higher level with his endeavour and wing play. He linked up well with full-back Keith Nobbs on the left side of the team. On retirement, Honour was awarded a testimonial year by the club, the highlight a game between Pools' 1991 promotion winners and

Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. Nicknamed "King Kev" or "Mighty Mouse", Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability, as well as his finishing and presence in the air, and is regard ...

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

side at Victoria Park. There was also a sportsman's dinner with Jack Charlton to pay tribute to him. Honour became a regular on match days at Victoria Park, greeting guests in the hospitality areas and passionately commentating on matches for the club's website and still runs the successful Brian Honour Soccer Schoo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honour, Brian 1964 births Living people People from Horden Footballers from County Durham Men's association football midfielders English men's footballers Darlington F.C. players Peterlee Town F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Spennymoor United A.F.C. players English Football League players English football managers Hartlepool United F.C. managers Bishop Auckland F.C. managers Hartlepool United F.C. non-playing staff