Brian Stevens

DOB: 1st January 1948

Position: Defender

Season of first appearance: 1970/71

Season of last appearance: 1970/71

Full Appearances: 42

Substitute: 0

Goals: 0

Also played for:

Crystal Palace (0), Bedford Town, Tonbridge, Hendon and Walton & Hersham.

Player Profile:

Tough London-born centre-back who started his career as an apprentice at Crystal Palace, signing for them in July 1964. While with the Eagles, Brian played alongside future Margate players Davie Houston and Dai Yorath in the club's youth and reserve sides. He made a total of 32 reserve team appearances and also had trials for the England youth team before being released at the end of the 1966/67 season.

Brian joined Bedford for the 1967/68 campaign and spent two seasons there before signing for Margate in the summer of 1970.

He made his debut in a 3-2 win at Kettering in the Southern League on 12.9.70 and quickly gained a reputation for being uncompromising. The local press described him as being as "iron-hard" and "Margate's chief destroyer". Another report said that Brian's "tactics sometimes border on the ruthless" and on 21.11.70 he played as Margate lost 2-0 at Dagenham in the FA Cup 1st Round.

On 23.1.71, he was sent off during a 3-3 draw at Wimbledon and the dismissal later led to Brian being banned for a month. As the ban began in April, it cut his season short and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said it was "a bitter blow" as Brian was "undoubtedly the mainstay of the defence". He'd made a total of 42 appearances during the 1970/71 campaign before his suspension and at the end of the season Brian was released.

He joined Tonbridge for the 1971/72 campaign although he did his training at Hillingdon Borough due to travelling difficulties.

He later played for Hendon where he spent the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons.

Brian then moved to Walton & Hersham for the 1976/77 campaign and also spent the 1977/78 season there.