Bryan Brennan is probably the greatest schoolboy footballer ever to represent Stockport. It's quite a claim but the evidence tends to back it up when you consider he was good enough to feature on the cover of the Hotspur Book of Football Stars for 1948-49 alongside Blackpool's England international Stan Mortensen.

Born in Halifax during May 1933 Bryan was orphaned and ended up at Barnes Home Industrial School in Stockport. His goal scoring prowess was such that he was leading the line for the Stockport Boys under-15 side when just 13 years-old.

Nicknamed 'Boy' Brennan, his quite phenomenal scoring record drew the attention of the England selectors. He made his debut for his country against Wales at Vetch Field, the former home of this afternoon's visitors, on 3 May 1947 and the following week he played against Scotland at Goodison Park. He went on to collect 6 England Schoolboy caps at Under 15-level and a further 5 for England Youth.

It was 1947-48, though, that Bryan, really shot to fame playing for the legendry Stockport Boys side that lifted the English Schools Trophy for the first, and only, time.

ELEVEN GOALS

The Stockport public sensed it might be a special year following a 15-0 victory over North Staffordshire in round one when 'Boy' helped himself to ELEVEN goals.

He scored six against Montgomery and four against North East Cheshire as the Boys ruthlessly made their way to the latter stages of the prestigious competition.

Brighton were the visitors to Edgeley Park in the quarterfinals when thy played FOUR halfbacks in an attempt to stop Brennan. Their tactics didn't work. Bryan scored all the goals in a 3-0 win in front of a passionate home crowd that numbered more than 18,000!

A victory by the same margin at Norwich then set up a mouth-watering final against the powerful Liverpool Boys.

Cup fever had gripped the town, and when the first leg came around, on Thursday, May 6^th, 1948, no fewer than 25,000 expectant fans packed Edgeley Park!

The teams were evenly matched and the goalless draw was considered a fair result.

The second leg took place at Anfield 11 days later, and this time there were plenty of goals.

Trailing 2-0 with just 10 minutes remaining Stockport's Cup dreams looked over.

But, in a barnstorming finish, they hit back to take the game to extra-time.

The breakthrough came when Keith Goalen - who would go onto have a successful career at County and Macclesfield Town - was brought down in the box.

Atherton, in the Liverpool goal, actually got his hand to Brennan's spot kick but, as one reporter wrote, "human hands cannot stop cannonballs".

The travelling fans in the bumper 40,776 urged the Boys forward and, three minutes later, they were level when Johnny Miller equalised after Goalen's shot had rebounded off the crossbar.

HISTORIC

Stockport fans were sensing an historic victory when Goalen turned in Johnny Tippett's cross but an equaliser, with just two minutes on the clock, ended the scoring to give each team a share of the Trophy.

Stockport won the toss for the right to hold the Cup for the first six months and, later that night, they paraded it on an open-top bus through Mersey Square.

Brennan was now one of the hottest-prospects in the country and a number of clubs clambered for his signature.

But, despite competition from Arsenal, Everton, Burnley and Manchester United, it was County who won the race for his services, not least because they could offer him a job out of football.

The managers at Barnes Industrial School were responsible for Bryan until he was 18 and, before they granted him permission to leave at 15, they had to be satisfied he had a suitable job and home to go to.

Bryan was signed on amateur forms by County in September 1948 and employed at the boot repairers belonging to director Mr. H H Brooks, whilst training two evenings a week.

Still just 16, Bryan made his first team debut in April 1950 as County lost their Cheshire Bowl Semi-Final at Crewe Alexandra and, after returning from an England Youth tour of Austria, he turned professional but continued with his job at the boot and shoe repair factory.

Bryan and Goalen, his former Stockport Boys teammate, made their Football League debuts on 24 April 1951 in a 2-2 draw at Carlisle United. Goalen played like a seasoned professional, while Brennan set up both goals.

EXCITING

In the last game of the season against Hartlepool, Bryan and Keith were joined by another exciting County youngster, David Herd who lined up alongside his Dad, Alec to establish another Hatters record - the only time a father and son had played in the same side at League level.

For Brennan, though, the 2-0 victory would prove to be his final County appearance. 

Having broken into the first team his career was interrupted when he began two years National Service with the Royal Artillery.

On leaving the Army Bryan returned to County as a part-time professional but he could not break into the first team again. It was a problem many National Service lads suffered as other players progressed whilst they were unavailable.

With no prospects of getting into the team Bryan dropped out of League Football in March 1954 when he joined Ellesmere Port Town.

One of Brennan's Boys' teammates would go on and enjoy a glittering career, though. Jeff Whitefoot, who also won caps for England Under-15s, made 93 appearances for Manchester United before joining Grimsby Town in November 1957. He scored 5 goals in 26 games in a short spell with the Mariners prior to joining Nottingham Forest.

In nine years at the City Ground he added 255 games to his impressive tally, and helped Forest win the FA Cup in 1959.

Although Bryan has trodden a quite different path to Whitefoot, the legend of 'Boy' Brennan remains.

On April 5, 2008 County fan Marcus Heap organised a reunion to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Stockport's English Schoolboy Trophy success with no fewer than eight members of our local team and three Liverpool players attending.

With no disrespect to the other players, though, it was 'Boy' Brennan who took centre stage and he received a standing ovation when Marcus presented him with a replacement of the England cap he lost many, many years ago.

We spoke to Bryan after the game and you can listen to that interview by clicking here.

You can also listen to Marcus talking about the special reunion by clicking here.

Bryan Brennan's League Career
Team	Apps	Gls
Stockport County	4	0