Brian Close
| Date of birth | 27 January 1982 |
| Place of birth | Belfast |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Weight | 78 kg |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Defender |
Close, who is a Northern Ireland Under-21 international, joined Middlesbrough from St Oliver Plunkett Boys Club.
His contract at Darlington was extended to June 2007 in December 2006.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | 11 Oct 1999 | 05 Mar 2004 | |
| Chesterfield | 07 Mar 2003 | 04 May 2003 | L |
| Northampton Town | 23 Feb 2004 | 27 Feb 2004 | T |
| Darlington | 05 Mar 2004 | 30 Jun 2007 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | Chesterfield | League Division 2 | 8 | 1 |
5
|
||
| 2002-03 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Darlington | League Division 3 | 8 | 4 |
3
|
||
| 2004-05 | Darlington | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Darlington | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Darlington | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Darlington | League Two | 37 | 1 |
7
|
1
|
|
| 2005-06 | Darlington | League Two | 4 | 2 |
|||
| 2006-07 | Darlington | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Darlington | Johnstones Paint Trophy | 2 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Darlington | League Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2006-07 | Darlington | League Two | 26 | 1 |
4
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06 Nov 2002 | Ipswich Town v Middlesbrough | L | 3-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | Northern Ireland | UEFA Under-18 | 1 |
||||
| 2000-01 | Northern Ireland | UEFA Under-18 | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Northern Ireland | UEFA Under-21 | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Northern Ireland | Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Northern Ireland | UEFA Under-21 | 4 |
2
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Northern Ireland | Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Northern Ireland | UEFA Under-21 | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Northern Ireland | Under-23 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2000 | Northern Ireland v Ukraine | D | 2-2 | UEFA U18 | 2nd round group 1 |
| 31 Oct 2000 | Portugal v Northern Ireland | L | 1-0 | UEFA U18 | Group 14 |
| 02 Nov 2000 | Northern Ireland v Norway | L | 1-3 | UEFA U18 | Group 14 |
| 04 Sep 2001 | Northern Ireland v Iceland | L | 1-3 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 05 Oct 2001 | Malta v Northern Ireland | D | 2-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 3 |
| 12 Feb 2002 | Northern Ireland v Germany | L | 0-1 | U21 | |
| 06 Sep 2002 | Scotland v Northern Ireland | D | 1-1 | U21 | |
| 11 Oct 2002 | Spain v Northern Ireland | L | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 15 Oct 2002 | Northern Ireland v Ukraine | D | 1-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 28 Mar 2003 | Armenia v Northern Ireland | L | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 10 Jun 2003 | Northern Ireland v Spain | L | 1-4 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 09 Sep 2003 | Northern Ireland v Armenia | W | 3-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 10 Oct 2003 | Greece v Northern Ireland | W | 0-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 6 |
| 27 Apr 2004 | Northern Ireland v Serbia and Montenegro | D | 0-0 | U23 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.