Northern Irish footballer
Noel Brotherston (18 November 1956 – 6 May 1995) was an international footballer for Northern Ireland.[3]
Club career
A winger, Brotherston played in the Football League for Tottenham,[citation needed] Blackburn Rovers,[citation needed] Bury,[citation needed] and Scarborough.[citation needed]
Noel was well remembered for his characteristic hairstyle that seemed to emphasise his jinking runs down the wing. He was a fans' favourite at Blackburn.[4]
International career
Brotherston made his debut for Northern Ireland in a May 1980 friendly match against Scotland and won 27 international caps, scoring three goals. He represented his country in three FIFA World Cup qualification matches[5] and played at the 1982 World Cup.
Brotherston played in a famous 1–0 win for Northern Ireland over Israel[citation needed] that helped the team to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. He also scored the winning goal against Wales in 1980[citation needed] to give Northern Ireland the Home Internationals Championship trophy in the Irish Football Association's centenary year.[citation needed]
Personal life
Brotherston grew up in the town of Dundonald,[citation needed] in the east of Belfast. He lived in Bright Street, East Belfast when he was a small boy.
He became a painter and decorator in Blackburn[4] when he retired as a player, and had two sons, Lee and Ryan. He died of a heart attack aged just 38.[4]
References
External links
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