Brian Horton

Brian Horton (born 1948) is the manager of Macclesfield Town and is one of the few managers in English football to have taken charge of teams in more than a thousand games.

Related Topics:
1948 - Macclesfield Town

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Horton was a respected journeyman midfield player with Brighton and Hove Albion and Luton Town, amongst others, in the 1970s and 1980s. His most famous moment as a player was Luton's last-day relegation escape at Manchester City in 1983, in which manager David Pleat ran across the pitch in infamous jubilation. Horton became player-manager of Hull City a year later.

Related Topics:
Brighton and Hove Albion - Luton Town - 1970s - 1980s - Manchester City - 1983 - David Pleat - Hull City

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At Hull, Horton's reputation as a strong-minded, tactically-aware manager quickly built and he came very close to earning the club promotion to the First Division. He quit playing in 1986 to concentrate on full-time management and was sacked, to the dismay of some fans and most of the players, in 1988 after a short run of games without a win. He then became assistant manager to Mark Lawrenson at Oxford United and took over the main job after Lawrenson quit in protest at the sale of star player Dean Saunders.

Related Topics:
First Division - 1986 - 1988 - Mark Lawrenson - Oxford United - Dean Saunders

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Horton's own reign at the Manor Ground lasted five seasons and although Oxford stayed clear of the drop from the Second Division, they never looked like gaining promotion and Horton's tenure at the club was uneventful.

Related Topics:
Manor Ground - Second Division

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In August 1993, four games after the start of the 1993-94 FA Premier League campaign, Horton resigned as Oxford manager to replace Peter Reid as manager of Manchester City, to the surprise of many supporters and commentators, who were expecting the appointment of someone more high profile. City's previous three seasons in the top flight had yielded top-ten finishes, but their fortunes declined under Horton. They finished 16th in the final Premiership table and scored just 47 league goals, with top scorer Mike Sheron finding the net just six times in the Premiership.

Related Topics:
1993 - FA Premier League - Peter Reid - Goal - Mike Sheron

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The next year was no better as City continued to struggle, the frailty of their defence was highlighted by a 5-0 hammering away to neighbours United at Old Trafford. Horton was sacked at the end of the season after City came just two places away from relegation.

Related Topics:
United - Old Trafford - Relegation

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He made a swift return to management with Huddersfield Town, who had just won promotion to Division One via the Division Two playoffs under Neil Warnock, who had then quit. 1995-96 was a promising season for the Terriers. Horton seemed to have breathed new life into the club and they reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, narrowly suffering a replay defeat at home to Wimbledon. But the season ended in disappointment when Huddersfield's league form slumped and they finished eighth, just missing out on a playoff place. Despite the club record £1.2million signing of Bristol Rovers striker Marcus Stewart, Huddersfield were unable to make a mark on Division One in 1996-97 and they finished 20th - just two places ahead of the relegation zone. Horton was sacked in September 1997 after a poor start to the season.

Related Topics:
Huddersfield Town - Neil Warnock - 1995 - Bristol Rovers - Marcus Stewart - 1996 - 1997

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In February 1998, Horton returned to one of his old clubs as a player when he became manager of Brighton and Hove Albion who were enduring the blackest spell in their history. The previous season they had come minutes away from suffering relegation to the Conference, and things were little better this time round. They were second from bottom in Division Three but a large gap separated them from bottom club Doncaster Rovers. Horton kept the Seagulls flying clear of relegation and their league form was better in 1998-99, but in January 1999 Horton walked out on the club to take charge of Port Vale - another club for whom he had played - in Division One.

Related Topics:
1998 - Conference - Doncaster Rovers - 1999 - Port Vale

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He remained in charge at Port Vale until February 2004. In his first full season as manager, in 1999-2000, Vale finished second from bottom in Division One and were relegated to Division Two. He remained at the helm for the next three-and-a-half years but promotion back to Division One never looked a real possibility and he was succeeded by Martin Foyle three months before the end of the 2003-04 season.

Related Topics:
2004 - 1999 - 2003

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Within a few weeks of leaving Port Vale, Brian Horton landed the manager's job at Division Three strugglers Macclesfield Town. He rejuvenated a demoralised side and kept them in the Football League, but many pundits were tipping the Silkmen to slip out of the newly-named Coca-Cola League Two at the end of the 2004-05 season. Horton proved all the observers wrong as his side were in the top-seven of the division virtually all season long before they qualified for the playoffs in sixth place. Their promotion challenge was finally ended by Lincoln City in the semi finals.

Related Topics:
2004 - Playoffs - Lincoln City

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Horton lives in Cheadle Hulme with his family.

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