Brodie’s Foxes tale had no happy ending
There’s never a good time for a player to get injured.
It’s especially difficult for a rising star who looks about to establish himself at a big club.
Murray Brodie made a spectacular start to his career with Leicester City, before finding out the hard way that you’re quickly forgotten on the sidelines.
The 18-year-old Glaswegian was featured on the back page of The Sunday Post 50 years ago this weekend when he was signed by the Foxes from Cumbernauld United.
A year later, he was making headlines for his goalscoring exploits.
As he recalls, things couldn’t have gone better for a young striker getting his first taste of top-team football.
He said: “I made my debut on October 4, 1969, against Watford at Filbert Street and scored in a 3-1 victory.
“There was a crowd of more than 25,000. “I kept my place for a midweek game against Middlesbrough and got another goal.
“I was pretty chuffed with the way things were going, and thought I’d made the big time. “I was in the team again on Saturday when we went to play Preston.
“Unfortunately, I had to go off with a badly torn ligament in my knee.
“An injury like that would probably have been sorted in a few weeks these days, but it kept me out for months.
“I got back to full fitness and was playing really well in the reserves.
“We normally got a day off after a midweek fixture, but I was told I had to come in.
“I genuinely thought that was because I was back in the first team on the Saturday.
“I arrived at the ground and was told the boss wanted to see me.
“Frank O’farrell said he wanted me to join Aldershot. My immediate reaction was that I didn’t want to go, but he said that I wouldn’t be playing for him if I refused.
“Players really didn’t have any power back then. It was very hard to block a move.”
Murray left Leicester with a record of three games in seven days and two goals.
Aldershot might not have appealed initially, but he’s been in the area ever since. Between 1970 and 1983 he racked up 461 league appearances for The Shots – a club record.
There was a Player of the Year award in 1980 and a testimonial match against West Brom.
He does, however, confess to one attempt to leave the club.
He said: “Just the other day, I found some stuff from my football career in a box. “Among the papers was a letter from the chairman of Aldershot.
“The background to that is that in 1976, I was tapped up by First Division Norwich City. “A friend was working there and recommended me when manager John Bond was looking for a left-sided striker.
“I was advised, ‘Make yourself unhappy’. “I submitted a written transfer request, but the reply consisted of just two sentences.
“It read: ‘Thank you for your transfer request. This request has been refused’.
“I have to say, though, I really enjoyed my time at Aldershot and my wife has been very happy here, which counts for a lot.”
Murray might have had a career in Scotland if things had gone differently.
He said: “At Cumbernauld United we had a few Celtic players farmed out to us.
“One was Kenny Dalglish. He was a fabulous player. Grumpy, but an amazing talent. “I played a couple of trial games for Hibs. “I then came home one day to find the Leicester City chief scout waiting to see me. “I went there for a couple of weeks and was immediately offered a two-year contract.” Murray, now 68, joined the police after hanging up his boots and served in the CID.
He said: “People don’t believe me but I found my police career more satisfying than football.”