Born:
Joined the Tigers:
4th February 1949, Hednesford
12th June 1984, from Luton Town (player-manager)
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Brian Horton is a City legend and is currently assistant manager to Phil Brown.
Horton developed his tough tackling approach to football on the mean streets of Staffordshire mining hovel Hednesford, playing for the local side until a move in 1970 to nearby league side Port Vale. A solid career at Vale Park, Brighton and Luton culminated in a spell in the First Division for the Hatters, and it was Horton that David Pleat cavorted towards the day they beat Manchester City to avoid relegation. A year later Horton took over from Colin Appleton and propelled the Tigers into the Second Division at the first attempt, inheriting Appleton's capable young squad. Over the next four seasons Horton moulded the squad, bringing in young prospects known to him at during his spell in the Home Counties (Parker, Bunn and Daniel from Luton; Williams, Jobson and Dyer from Watford). His high point came in 1988 when City topped the table in the run-up to Christmas - alas four months later City had gone 15 without a win and Horton was sacked. He went on to manage Oxford United and Manchester City at the highest level as well as Brighton, Huddersfield, Port Vale and Macclesfield (where he honed the wild raw talent of Jon Parkin). He returned to City in the Summer of 2007 adding backroom experience to Phil Brown's management team, and is now seen prowling the technical area most Saturdays issuing instructions and encouragement in his inimitable style.