Members News: City’s Club Host Is 69 Today- CCFPA Sends ‘Birthday Best’ Wishes To ‘Harry’!!
CCFPA would like to join the whole ‘Sky Blue family’ in wishing club legend and one of our most popular former players Brian ‘Harry’ Roberts a wonderful birthday today!! ‘Harry’ (nicknamed, for some reason, after a famous bank-robber of the past) was born in Manchester on 6th November 1955 so is therefore celebrating his 69th birthday today!
A crowd favourite and always entertaining both on and off the pitch, Brian is no stranger to the CBS (and the earlier two seasons in exile at St.Andrews) and the Ricoh before that – being seen in and around the corporate areas as CCFC’s official match-day ‘host’ though he has also occasionally turned out as a CCFPA ‘special guest’ on match-days. Normally, however, it is ‘Harry’ who does the ‘Q&A’ with each of our ‘specials’ pre-match as they tour the supporters’ lounges as many photos on this site testify! By way of example he is pictured below left with fellow CCFPA member and Sky Blue star of the recent past William Edjenguele (‘the Edje’) at City’s winning game with Blackburn Rovers a while back.
‘Harry’ interviews ‘the Edje’
‘Harry’ started with the Sky Blues as an apprentice in November 1973 and, once he had made his debut in 1976, quickly became a crowd favourite for his tenacious and athletic defensive work (mostly at full back) as well as for his sense of humour on and off the pitch. Brian became noted for his defensive duties (sticking closely to his target) rather than his goalscoring prowess though his occasional surging runs out of defence were also memorable.
Brians autobiography ‘Harry’s Game’
Despite ten years at the club and 215 first team league appearances (249 in all competitions) Brian only managed just the one league goal in his Highfield Road sojourn. This came away at West Ham United in December 1982 though he did also score in a home Fourth round F.A.Cup tie against Norwich City the following January. Also a loyal servant to his two other main Midland clubs (though he also got eight games out on loan with Hereford United in 1975) Brian spent four seasons at CCFC’s recent landlord Birmingham City after leaving the Sky Blues, clocking up another 187 appearances (no goals) before finishing his top-class career at Molineux making a further 21 first team appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers (no score) between 1990-92.
Former CCFC defender and gaffer Micky Adams & ‘Harry’ settle down to watch the game at the CBS early last season
A footballing career totalling 431 league appearances (and the one goal) and nearly 500 appearances overall is a substantial achievement. ‘Harry’ went on to building a second professional career within education becoming Head of Sport at a local private school in Leamington until retirement. He is a man of many parts also building up a local reputation in amateur dramatics!
We hope you have a great day today ‘Harry’ and no doubt we will be seeing you back at the CBS very soon -i.e. doing your stuff as club host at tonight’s Sky Blues Championship fixture against Derby County with ‘special guest’, former Sky Blue ‘skipper’ Michael Doyle!!
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.
