Bobby Braithwaite

Exciting winger in Linfield's 1961/62 Clean-Sweep team, Bobby Braithwaite went on to make his name in England with Middlesbrough...

Name: Robert Munn Braithwaite
Born: 24 February 1937, Belfast
Height: 5.08 ft
Weight: 10.11 st
Position: Outside-Left

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 10 Full Caps (1962-1965), Amateur Caps; Irish League: 8 Caps (1956-1963).
Club Honours: (with Linfield) Irish League Champion 1958/59, 1960/61, 1961/62; Irish Cup Winner 1959/60, 1961/62, 1962/63, Runner-Up 1957/58, 1960/61; Ulster Cup Winner 1961/62; Gold Cup Winner 1961/62; City Cup 1961/62; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1961/62; North-South Cup Winner 1961/62.

Club Career:
Crusaders (Irish League); Linfield (Irish League) (4/0 Europe); Middlesbrough (Football League) 1963/64-1966/67 (67(1)/12 League); Durban City (South Africa).

Biography:
Bobby Braithwaite was amongst the most exciting attacking talents in the Irish League through the late-1950s and early-1960s, testament to this was his nickname, “Gento”, after the famous Real Madrid winger. Having come through the ranks as a teenager with Crusaders, Braithwaite was quickly signed-up by Linfield. It was a glorious time at Windsor Park, and Braithwaite played in five Irish Cup Finals in a six year spell.

Among three Irish Cup successes was the 1962 final, Braithwaite scoring in a 4-0 win over Portadown that placed Linfield well on the way to a seven trophy haul. Braithwaite played fifty of Linfield’s 59 games, and scored twelve goals, as the Gibson Cup (Irish League), Irish Cup, Ulster Cup, Gold Cup, City Cup, Co. Antrim Shield and North-South Cup all ended the season in the Linfield trophy cabinet for a domestic clean-sweep.

It was during the “Clean-Sweep” season that Braithwaite won his first international cap, in a 4-0 reverse against Wales in Cardiff, as Peter Doherty searched for a successor to Peter McParland in the number eleven shirt. The following season Braithwaite added two further caps, in European Nations Cup ties with Poland and Spain, but new manager Bertie Peacock was still experimenting with the outside-left role, and Billy Bingham, Jimmy Hill and Jimmy McLaughlin were all tried there.

In 1963 Braithwaite left Windsor Park - with his third Irish Cup medal following a 2-1 Final victory over Distillery - and his job in the shipyard, for full-time football with Middlesbrough. At Ayresome Park Braithwaite developed into a firm crowd favourite, but his effective use of the ball and a keen eye for goal couldn’t help ‘Boro out of the Second Division. He had however cemented his place in the Northern Ireland eleven, his forays down the left mirroring George Best’s efforts on the right, until he was struck down with injury.

It was a clash with Newcastle’s Jim Iley that effectively ended Braithwaite’s Football League career, and after a number of failed comebacks he left Middlesbrough for South African side, Durban City.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
11/04/1962 Wales...... (a) L 0-4 BC
28/11/1962 Poland..... (h) W 2-0 ENC
30/05/1963 Spain...... (a) D 1-1 ENC
15/04/1964 Wales...... (a) W 3-2 BC
29/04/1964 Uruguay.... (h) W 3-0 F
03/10/1964 England.... (h) L 3-4 BC
14/10/1964 Switzerland (h) W 1-0 WCQ
14/11/1964 Switzerland (a) L 1-2 WCQ
25/11/1964 Scotland... (a) L 2-3 BC
07/04/1965 Netherlands (a) D 0-0 WCQ

Summary: 10/0. Won 4, Drew 2, Lost 4.