*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Chic Brodie
Appearances: 91 Goals: 0
Clean Sheets: 25
Date / Year of birth: 22nd February 1937
Position: Goalkeeper
Season of first appearance: 1971/72
Season of last appearance: 1972/73
Also played for: Partick Avondale (Scotland), Manchester City (0), Gillingham (22,0), Aldershot (106,0), Wolverhampton Wanderers (1,0), Northampton Town (97,0), Brentford (224,0), Wealdstone and Maidstone United
Much-travelled, 6' 0" tall Scottish schoolboy international goalkeeper born in Duntocher, Scotland who played over 400 first team games for a variety of Football League clubs.
Chic began his career with Scottish junior club Partick Avondale and then joined Manchester City as a part-time player in June 1953. However he didn't make the first team at Maine Road and in July 1957 Chic moved on to Gillingham.
He made 22 appearances for the Gills during the 1957/58 season and was then transferred to Aldershot in the summer of 1958. Chic was doing his National Service at the time and was stationed at Aldershot. Chic went on to make over 100 senior appearances for the Shots, spanning the 1958/59-1960/61 seasons, before joining Wolves in February 1961.
In September 1961 he moved on again, having played just one 1st Division game for Wolves, and linked up with Northampton.
Chic's first game for the Cobblers completed an unusual run of three consecutive games where he played in the Football League for three different clubs in three different divisions. His last game for Aldershot was in Division 4, his only one for Wolves was in Division 1 and Northampton were in Division 3. Chic went on to become a first team regular for Northampton for just over two years.
In November 1963 Chic signed for Brentford and he went on to make over 200 first team appearances for the Bees during the period 1963/64-1970/71.
However on 28.11.70 his professional career ended in bizarre fashion when he collided with a sheepdog that had run onto the pitch. Chic was stretchered off having severely injured his knee and never played for Brentford again. Chic was later quoted as saying "the dog might have been a small one, but it just happened to be a solid one." The incident was captured on film by television cameras and became part of football folklore.
By the summer of 1971 Chic had recovered sufficient fitness to play part-time football and in July 1971 he joined Margate. He made his debut as Margate beat Telford 3-1 at Hartsdown on 14.8.71, the opening day of the 1971/72 season. His class and bravery became immediately apparent and the Thanet Times said that Chic "heartened all and sundry with his penalty box command and general poise". It was felt that Margate had finally found the solution to the goalkeeping problem that had hampered the club since the release of Brian Hughes at the end of the 1967/68 season. A kidney infection kept Chic out for around a month early in the season but he returned to put in some impressive performances, although he was also unfortunate enough to be in goal as Bournemouth & Boscombe famously beat Margate 11-0 in an FA Cup 1st Round tie on 20.11.71. Chic's display in an FA Trophy tie at Folkestone on 4.12.71 was described as "brilliant" by the local press and in the replay four days later he again pulled off some superb saves in a display the paper called "magnificent". However Chic's season came to a premature end when he suffered a hairline fracture of his ankle during a game at Romford on 26.2.72. He'd made 35 appearances before the injury ruled him out of the club's remaining games.
During the 1972/73 season Chic played in 56 of Margate's 64 matches and again impressed with what the local paper called his "general expertise". On 18.11.72 he was in the side that beat Swansea 1-0 in an FA Cup 1st Round tie at Hartsdown Park and on 2.12.72 Chic was carried off shortly before the end of a 3-2 win at Guildford having been kicked in the face. He recovered in time to play in Margate's 1-0 win at Walton & Hersham in the FA Cup 2nd Round on 9.12.72 and Chic then played in perhaps the club's biggest ever match - a 6-0 defeat against Tottenham at Hartsdown Park in the 3rd Round on 13.1.73.
His best performance of the season was during a 4-0 defeat at home to Kettering on 12.2.73, Chic saved Margate from complete humiliation with a display described as "brilliant" by the Isle of Thanet Gazette and the paper said that he pulled off "a string of immaculate saves". At the end of the 1972/73 campaign Chic was transfer-listed and in the summer of 1973 he left the club and joined Wealdstone for a small fee.
In the summer of 1974 he moved on to Maidstone where he finished his career.
Chic was interviewed by John Sadler for The Sun during 1972/73 and the feature described Chic as "a walking mishap, a one-man casualty station, a multiple accident statistic". He was even five hours late for the interview because he'd been in hospital !
As well as the infamous dog incident Chic also mentioned two other memorable occurrences in the article. Playing against Millwall for Brentford on 6.11.65 a hand grenade was thrown into his goalmouth, luckily it turned out to be a fake. "I bloody scarpered" Chic told Sadler. Chic also recalled how the entire goal collapsed around him in a game at Lincoln and the feature was headlined "Unlucky Chic - The One-Man Natural Disaster".
Back in November 1970 the Evening Standard had interviewed Chic, whose full name was Charles Thomas George Brodie, during his time at Brentford and he'd provided some interesting insights into his life and career. He told the reporter "All the other players call me Charlie but I don't like it. It puts me in mind of a big Irish navvy" and recalling his spell at Manchester City Chic said "I never managed to get into the first team. Whether I wasn't good enough I don't know, but they had Bert Trautmann then, who was such a personality and a great goalkeeper."
Chic also described his numerous superstitious rituals "I've always got to carry a ball out and I always carry my cap and gloves in the same hand. Then, as I go out of the dressing room into the tunnel, I always like to touch a piece of wood. I have to go out second, right after the captain. I'd knock the other players out of the way if they tried to get in front of me. It would upset me a bit if I didn't do these things, so I suppose I am a wee bit superstitious !"
The article concluded with some details of Chic's part-time job as a London taxi driver and he mentioned a collision he'd been involved in with a white Jaguar. Chic jumped out of his taxi and so did the Jaguar driver who turned out to be Geoff Hurst. "It was such a coincidence really, two footballers colliding, that he treated it as a joke and we had a good laugh together" Chic recalled.
He sadly died on 24.4.00 aged 63.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC | |
|
1971/72 (MFC) |
35 (69) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (9TH OF 22) |
1R |
1R |
SF |
2R |
GR |
| Played in FA Cup 1st Round (20.11.71 - lost 11-0 at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC | |
|
1972/73 (MFC) |
56 (64) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (7TH OF 22) |
3R |
3QR |
1R |
2R |
GR |
| Played in FA Cup 1st
Round (18.11.72 - beat Swansea City 1-0 at home).
Played in FA Cup 2nd Round (09.12.72 - won 1-0 at Walton & Hersham). Played in FA Cup 3rd Round (13.01.73 - lost 6-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur). | |||||||||