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
Died: 14 October 2015, South Africa
Height: 5.08 ft
Weight: 10.11 st
Position: Outside-Left

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 10 Full Caps (1962-1965), 6 Amateur Caps (1955-1957), 6 Youth Caps, 2 Schools Caps (1951); 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, 1962/63; City Cup 1958/59, 1961/62; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1957/58, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1962/63; North-South Cup Winner 1961/62.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Europe	Other
Crusaders	-	-	Amateur	-	-	-	-	-
Linfield	57/58-62/63	Apr-57	£400	270(-)/69	*	*	4(0)/0	*
Middlesbrough	63/64-66/67	Jun-63	£10,000	67(1)/12	1(0)/0	3(0)/0	-	-
Durban City	-	Dec-67	-	(South Africa)
Bloemfontein.City	-	-	-	(South Africa)
TOTALS	-	£-		-	-	-	4(0)/0	-

* All domestic game

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 wing wizard. Brought up on the Shore Road, he came through the ranks as a teenager with Crusaders before being 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 broken leg suffered in a clash with Newcastle’s Jim Iley that brought an end to Braithwaite at his best. He spent three seasons trying to re-build his fitness but was a shadow of his former self and could do little to prevent Boro's relegation to Division Three in 1966. After just a handful of appearances in the third tier, Braithwaite decided to emigrate to South Africa where he retired as a player in 1974.

After settling in South Africa, Braithwaite took to coaching and kept in regular contact with his former clubs. He passed away in October 2015 aged 78.

Irish FA Tribute
Linfield Tribute

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 FR
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.

Northern Ireland Amateur Cap Details:
17-09-1955 England.... H L 1-4
21-01-1956 Wales...... H W 2-1
25-02-1956 Scotland... A W 3-1
15-09-1956 England.... A L 2-5
19-01-1957 Wales...... A L 1-3
23-02-1957 Scotland... H W 4-1

Summary: 6/0. Won 3, Drew 0, Lost 3.