Brightwell: Book, Pardoe and Barnes were the biggest influences on my career | OneFootball

Former City stalwart Ian Brightwell has named the three Club legends that had the most impact on the career he would go on to have.

Brightwell played 380 times for City between 1986 and 1998, with only 19 men ever representing us more.

A City fan from birth, it was a dream come true for the now-56-year-old.

As the son of two Olympic athletes, drive and determination to succeed was instilled into Brightwell – as well as younger brother David, who also played for City.

However, he says Tony Book, Glyn Pardoe and Ken Barnes were the trio that moulded him into the professional he would go on to become.

Book, affectionately known as ‘Skip’, was club captain of the City side under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison that won the First Division, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1968 and 1960. He then returned to manage the side in the mid-70s.

WATCH: OMCP_EP53_IAN_BRIGHTWELL_VODCAST

Pardoe was a team-mate of Book’s during those successful years, while Barnes had been a regular throughout the 1950s.

When Brightwell was making his way in the game, the trio were looking after City’s Under-18s.

They moulded a talented squad that included the likes of David White, Paul Lake, Steve Redmond and Andy Hinchcliffe, as well as Brightwell, to FA Youth Cup glory in 1986.

Speaking on the Official Man City Podcast, Brightwell says it was Book, Pardoe and Barnes who made him aware of what it takes to be a professional.

“For me, outside of my family, those three guys were the biggest influence on my footballing career,” he said.

“They were all different people.

“With Tony, if you didn’t toe the line you were out. Glyn was the good guy and Ken, in his own way, was the voice of reason. He kept out of it but he’d always have little bits of advice.

“Anyone who has worked with those guys, you can’t really explain what they brought. It was the drive, passion and expectations that they demanded of players.

“It didn’t matter who you were because they were top players themselves so you can’t argue with them. Tough love is the way to describe it because they wanted the best for you.”

WATCH: On This Day: City v United 1989

Brightwell’s 12 years as part of City’s first team squad spanned major highs and lows during a rollercoaster period for the Club.

Two of his favourite memories came against Manchester United in the same season – 1989/90.

As a versatile defender and midfielder, he was not known for his goalscoring, but a left-footed strike at Old Trafford earned us a point and remains one of the best Manchester derby goals of all-time.

However, it’s the Maine Road clash that season that still stands out most for Brightwell.

In the first derby for two-and-a-half years and eight years since our last victory over United, City thumped our rivals 5-1.

Two goals from David Oldfield plus Trevor Morley, Ian Bishop and Andy Hinchcliffe strikes made for an unforgettable day.

This is how Brightwell reflected on that game in his episode of the podcast.

“The game kicked off, there was a scuffle in the stands so the game was stopped,” he began.

“We went down the tunnel and into the gym. I say a gym, it was a room with a head tennis net. Tony Book got us into the room, passing balls and doing stretches.

“We were warm and United had just been sat in the dressing room, so we scored within a few minutes of the restart. From that moment onwards, we were confident. We were 3-0 up at half-time.

“Mark Hughes scored an incredible goal [for United] but Lakey went up the other end, beat two or three players and squared it for Oldfield. You could see their heads go down there.

“The best goal of the game for me was the last one, when Andy Hinchcliffe smashed the header in and ran past the Kippax giving it five.

“All the way through the 60s and 70s, City were dominant. We’d had draws against them but never been able to beat them. It was a fabulous day to beat them so convincingly.

“I can’t describe the atmosphere and you look at the old footage now, it was amazing. Being a City supporter myself, to have the bragging rights was amazing.”

CITY+ subscribers can watch Ian Brightwell’s episode of the Official Man City Podcast now on mancity.com or our official app.

For those who prefer to listen on audio platforms, that will be available next week.

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