BRANSTON FACTFILE

Born: Leicester, 1979 (age 35) 1997-2004: A centr e-half, Br anston joined Leicester as a teenager and spent two seasons out on loan,first at Rushden & Diamonds,then at Colchester, Lincoln, Plymouth and Rotherham – finally joining the latter for £50,000 in 1999. Branston spent five years at Millmoor, winning consecutive promotions to the Championship and playing 99 times bef ore leaving to join Shef field Wednesday. 2004-08: After 13 appearances for the Owls (including a loan spell at P eterborough), Branston rejoined Ronnie Moore at Oldham and w as a r egular in 2005-06, playing 42 times. He then rejoined Posh on a permanent basis in 2006 and was named captain, playing 32 games before brief stints at Rochdale, Northampton and Notts County. 2008-2011: Following his release from London Road,Branston dropped into Conf erence North with Kettering, helping Mark Cooper’s men win promotion in his first season and then playing every game the following season. Those performances brought a return to League Two with Burton, followed by a move to Torquay in 2010. Again made skipper, Branston was named in the PFA team of the year after the Gulls reached the 2010-11 LeagueTwo play-offs. 2011-14: Branston joined Bradford in 2011 but the sacking of manager Peter Taylor meant f irst-team appearances were hard to come by. After a loan spell at Rotherham, he joined Aldershot and then Br istol Rovers. Last season br ought 31 appearances f or Plymouth but niggling injuries eventually forced his retirement in July 2014, aged 35.