Derek Kirk Bryan (born 11 November 1974) is an English retired

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 le ...

, best remembered for his five-season spell in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

with

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

. Described as having "lightning pace and an eye for goal", his career was effectively ended by knee injuries suffered in January 2000.

Playing career

Early years

Bryan grew up in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and began his career at Combined Counties League Premier Division club Bedfont Green. He joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

Second Division club Hampton on 1 August 1996.

Brentford

Bryan signed for

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club Brentford on 29 August 1997 in a £50,000 deal. He made his debut for the club in a 0–0 league draw at

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

on 13 September, replacing Ryan Denys after 81 minutes. He made his first start in a 2–2 away draw with

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

on 3 March 1998 and capped his day by scoring the opening goal just before half time. Niggling injuries saw Bryan make just 11 appearances during the 1997–98 season, scoring two goals and Brentford suffered relegation to the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

on the final day. Bryan had to wait until November for his first appearance of the 1998–99 season, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute for

Drewe Broughton Drewe Oliver Broughton (born 25 October 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made over 540 senior appearances for 21 different clubs, scoring 116 goals, in a career spanning 17 years. Career Earlier ye ...

in a 2–0 defeat at Shrewsbury Town. He made 24 appearances during the 1998–99 season, scoring four goals as Brentford were promoted straight back to the Second Division as champions. Bryan made regular appearances throughout the first half of the 1999–00 season, until disaster struck in a

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...

quarter-final tie at home to

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

on 25 January 2000. Bryan scored the opening goal of the 2–0 win, but in the process he damaged the medial and cruciate ligaments in both knees. The injury meant that he missed the rest of the 1999–00 season and the entire 2000–01 season. Bryan made his comeback from the injuries after 77 minutes of a 2–1 league victory over Peterborough United on 13 October 2001, when he came on as a substitute for

Ben Burgess Benjamin Kieron Burgess (born 9 November 1981) is an English-born Irish retired footballer best known for his time playing for Hull City and Blackpool. He was capped by the Republic of Ireland at U18 and U21 level. Club career Early career ...

. It turned out to be Bryan's final appearance for the club and he was released in March 2002. During seasons at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

, Bryan made 64 appearances and scored 10 goals.

Gravesend & Northfleet

Bryan signed for Isthmian League Premier Division high-fliers Gravesend & Northfleet on 11 March 2002. He made his debut for the club on the same day in a 2–0 defeat to Purfleet and made little impact before being substituted for Che Stadhart half time. It was Bryan's only appearance for the club and he and departed a matter of weeks later.

Welling United

Bryan joined Southern League Premier Division club

Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...

in late March 2002. Bryan made 9 appearances and scored one goal during what remained of the 2001–02 season and left the club at the end of the campaign.

Walton & Hersham

On 8 November 2002 Bryan signed for Isthmian League First Division South club Walton & Hersham and made an appearance in a 0–0

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

draw with

Chesham United Chesham United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. Nicknamed "the Generals", they are currently members of the and play at the Meadow. History The club was established in 1917 by a merger o ...

on 2 December.

Return to Hampton & Richmond Borough

Bryan signed for former club Hampton & Richmond Borough (then members of the Isthmian League Premier Division) on 3 December 2002. He made his debut in a 6–0 Isthmian League Cup defeat to

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

on 11 December.

Honours

Brentford *

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

: 1998–99

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Derek 1974 births Living people Footballers from Hammersmith English footballers Brentford F.C. players Bedfont Town F.C. players Ebbsfleet United F.C. players Welling United F.C. players Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players Walton & Hersham F.C. players English Football League players Isthmian League players Southern Football League players Association football forwards