Brian Close
Name: Brian Aidan Close
Born: 27 January 1982, Belfast
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 12.03 st
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Under-23 Cap (2004), 10 Under-21 Caps (2001-2003), Under-18, Schoolboy.
Club Career:
Teams........ --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Middlesbrough 02/03-03/04 ...... Youth .0(0)/ 0 ...... 0(1)/0
Chesterfield. 02/03 ..... Mar-03 .Loan .8(0)/ 1
Darlington... 03/04-06/07 Mar-04 .Free 75(8)/ 0 4(0)/0 2(1)/0 3(0)/0
Billingham Synthonia ................. (Northern League)
TOTALS ............................... 83(8)/ 1 4(0)/0 2(2)/0 3(0)/0
Biography:
Brian Close, a native of west Belfast, joined Middlesbrough straight from school. Capable in the centre or right of defence as well as as a creative midfielder, sometimes on the left, he graduated to Boro's reserves during the 2001/02 season. In November 2002 Close made his firstteam debut, in a 3-1 League Cup defeat at Ipswich, though that proved his only senior outing.
Capped at Schoolboy and Youth level, Close was promoted to the Under-21 squad in 2001 and proved a versaile member of Roy Millar's team over ten caps as he filled in across defence and midfield. In March 2004 Close was allowed to leave Boro for Darlington on a free transfer. A month later he was included in the squad for a rare Northern Ireland Under-23 match.
A regular in the Quaker's side almost from the start, Close usually featured at right-back until ruled out by an ankle injury for most of the 2005/06 seaon. On his return to fitness Close struggled to regain his form and a change of manager saw him released in the summer of 2007. Linked with a move to Portadown, Close instead chose to remain in the north-east of England and joined Billingham Synthonia where he stayed for just a year.
Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
27-04-2004 Serbia & Montenegro H D 0-0 FR
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, drew 1, Lost 0.
Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
04-09-2001 Iceland............ H L 1-3 ECQ
05-10-2001 Malta.............. A D 2-2 ECQ sub
15-02-2002 Germany............ H L 0-1 FR
06-09-2002 Scotland........... A D 1-1 FR
11-10-2002 Spain.............. A L 0-1 ECQ
15-10-2002 Ukraine............ H D 1-1 ECQ
28-03-2003 Armenia............ A L 0-2 ECQ
10-06-2003 Spain.............. H L 1-4 ECQ
09-09-2003 Armenia............ H W 3-1 ECQ
10-10-2003 Greece............. A W 1-0 ECQ
Summary: 9(1)/0. Won 2, Drew 3, Lost 5.
Born: 27 January 1982, Belfast
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 12.03 st
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Under-23 Cap (2004), 10 Under-21 Caps (2001-2003), Under-18, Schoolboy.
Club Career:
Teams........ --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Middlesbrough 02/03-03/04 ...... Youth .0(0)/ 0 ...... 0(1)/0
Chesterfield. 02/03 ..... Mar-03 .Loan .8(0)/ 1
Darlington... 03/04-06/07 Mar-04 .Free 75(8)/ 0 4(0)/0 2(1)/0 3(0)/0
Billingham Synthonia ................. (Northern League)
TOTALS ............................... 83(8)/ 1 4(0)/0 2(2)/0 3(0)/0
Biography:
Brian Close, a native of west Belfast, joined Middlesbrough straight from school. Capable in the centre or right of defence as well as as a creative midfielder, sometimes on the left, he graduated to Boro's reserves during the 2001/02 season. In November 2002 Close made his firstteam debut, in a 3-1 League Cup defeat at Ipswich, though that proved his only senior outing.
Capped at Schoolboy and Youth level, Close was promoted to the Under-21 squad in 2001 and proved a versaile member of Roy Millar's team over ten caps as he filled in across defence and midfield. In March 2004 Close was allowed to leave Boro for Darlington on a free transfer. A month later he was included in the squad for a rare Northern Ireland Under-23 match.
A regular in the Quaker's side almost from the start, Close usually featured at right-back until ruled out by an ankle injury for most of the 2005/06 seaon. On his return to fitness Close struggled to regain his form and a change of manager saw him released in the summer of 2007. Linked with a move to Portadown, Close instead chose to remain in the north-east of England and joined Billingham Synthonia where he stayed for just a year.
Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
27-04-2004 Serbia & Montenegro H D 0-0 FR
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, drew 1, Lost 0.
Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
04-09-2001 Iceland............ H L 1-3 ECQ
05-10-2001 Malta.............. A D 2-2 ECQ sub
15-02-2002 Germany............ H L 0-1 FR
06-09-2002 Scotland........... A D 1-1 FR
11-10-2002 Spain.............. A L 0-1 ECQ
15-10-2002 Ukraine............ H D 1-1 ECQ
28-03-2003 Armenia............ A L 0-2 ECQ
10-06-2003 Spain.............. H L 1-4 ECQ
09-09-2003 Armenia............ H W 3-1 ECQ
10-10-2003 Greece............. A W 1-0 ECQ
Summary: 9(1)/0. Won 2, Drew 3, Lost 5.
