Football Crazy - Football Mad
Brough Fletcher was born in Mealsgate on March 9th 1893. He joined Barnsley in 1913 after playing inside-right for Chiltern Colliery. He was a regular in the Barnsley side before and after World War I, and was switched to wing-half in the early 1920s. In 1926 he was switched to Sheffield Wednesday, but moved back to Oakwell soon after and in 1930 was appointed Team Manager in succession to Arthur Fairclough. Fletcher remained in charge of the Tykes until 1937, lifting them out of the third division (north) but, after they slipped down again, he retired having spent a total of twenty-four years with the Oakwell club, scoring 73 goals in 312 games as a player. In 1938 he became manager of Bristol Rovers, a position he held until 1949, and he teamed up with Walsall in 1952. The Saddlers successfully applied for re-election at the end of 1951/52, and in the summer Fletcher signed eleven new players, adding a few more as the season progressed. Yet, all in all, the 1952/53 campaign was a poor one and the Saddlers finished bottom again, and Fletcher duly resigned in the Easter, being replaced by a man even older than himself, Major Frank Buckley. Brough Fletcher died in Bristol on 12th May 1972, aged 79.