As Dundee travel to Pittodrie on Tuesday we take a look at a player who won all three major honours with The Dons and the First Division title with The Dee; midfielder Brian Grant.
Grant was born in Bannockburn on June 19th 1964 and started his football career as a youth playing at local club Fallin Violet. From there he was spotted by senior side Stirling Albion and joined them in 1981 but after only a mere 14 first team matches at Annfield, found himself subject to nationwide interest. Celtic, Manchester City and Arsenal were among the clubs chasing the player, but in the end Brian Grant joined Alex Ferguson’s double winning Aberdeen side in August 1984 for the modest sum of ÂŁ40,000.
With a side bursting at the seams with top quality players, it was obvious the youngster was a player for the future, making only one substitute appearance that season in the League Cup, but his progress was hampered by a broken leg.
On returning to the reserve side, coach Teddy Scott felt he needed a new challenge, his game in danger of going stale under a depressive cloud after his injury and lack of first team action. His remedy was to move the slightly-built midfielder up front. And it worked to perfection. He banged in 8 goals in 5 matches and with his form and confidence restored, first team action beckoned.
In a match against Hibs at Easter Road, Aberdeen’s two goals came from Grant and fellow youngster Stevie Gray who had flitted in and out of top team action for a couple of seasons and looked just as promising as Grant himself. But the future for the two was to hold very differing fortunes.
As Gray’s time at Pittodrie petered out amidst rumours of heavy drinking and a party lifestyle, Grant was now a full time member of the first team squad, and maturing into a very tidy midfielder.
In season 1988/89, Brian made a massive claim for a regular first team place with a stunning 20 yard half-volley and all round tremendous performance at one time would-be suitors Celtic. It wouldn’t be enough though to secure a place in the League Cup semi-final the following midweek however, nor for the top of the table clash against Rangers at Pittodrie.
However in the following seasons he became a regular and an automatic pick. His play was never fancy, but it was absolutely everything a midfielder’s performance should be. He could win the ball, pass the ball, gave tremendous support to his defenders and attackers alike.
In the modern day game, we hear how a midfielder is now a defensive midfielder, or an attacking midfielder, but Grant was all of those things and struck up a great partnership with Jim Bett in the middle of the park.
In season 1990/91 Grant was a stand out in a fantastic Dons team which came so near to winning the title but scarcely received the credit he was due. He never received full international honours and was unfortunate to see the likes of Peter Grant, Stuart McCall, Mike Galloway, Dave Bowman Jim McInally, Gary McKay and Robert Connor get caps ahead of him.
In the run up to the 1993 Scottish Cup Final Grant broke his arm and the race was on to get him fit to face Rangers at Celtic Park. He returned one week before the final, scoring in a 4-1 win at Tannadice and Willie Miller was a relieved manager. He was right to be as. Grant was fantastic and even though Aberdeen lost, he was man of the match with the Sunday Mail Star Check giving him 10 out of 10!
When The Dons staved off the spectre of relegation via the play offs in 1995, Grant had been instrumental in helping keeping Aberdeen in the Premier Division and the following season was part of the side which defeated Dundee in the Coca-Cola Cup Final at Hampden.
Having won the Scottish title in 1985 and the Scottish Cup in 1986 and 1990, that League Cup win gave Brian a full set of major honours in the Scottish game.
In August 1996, Aberdeen played Everton in a testimonial for Grant, with the 9,000-plus crowd witnessing a 3-1 win for the Merseyside team but midway through the that season was allowed to join. Hibernian,
After just over a year at Easter Road, Grant moved to Dundee to help bring some experience to the Dark Blues’ faltering promotion campaign. He was brought to Dens Park by his former Aberdeen co-manager Jocky Scott who had just returned to the club and he made his debut as a second half substitute in a 2-0 home win over Morton on March 14th 1998.
He made his first start for The Dee the following week in 2-1 win over homeless Hamilton in Coatbridge and by the end of the season had played eight times, including as a half time sub in the title winning day at Raith as Dundee won the First Division and promotion back into the top flight.
In the newly formed Scottish Premier League Grant was given squad number 15 and after a poor start to the season for The Dee, made his first appearance as the Dark Blues earned their first point in a 1-1 draw with Celtic at the end of August.
He came off the bench that day but would make just three more substitute appearances in the league and a start in the Scottish Cup and at the end of January was allowed to return to his old club Stirling Albion on loan.
Grant turned out seven times for The Binos and in what turned out to be his final match in senior football, scored against Alloa in a 1-1 draw at Forthbank.
At the end of the season Grant moved to Bellshill Athletic and once he hung up his boots for good took over the McDonald’s franchise on the Forfar Road and remained in football by coaching youth teams at Dundee United.
Honours With Dundee:
Scottish League First Division winners: 1997/98
Appearances, Goals
League: 5 + 7 sub
Scottish Cup: 1
Totals: 13
Thanks to www.aberdeenmad.co.uk for the information about his time at Pittodrie
