Paul Brush is pictured playing for West ham during their match against Bristol City.
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| West Ham Utd: |
1975-1976 |
Played |
0 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1976-1977 |
Played |
0 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1977-1978 |
Played |
24 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1978-1979 |
Played |
42 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 2) |
| |
1979-1980 |
Played |
27 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 2) |
| |
1980-1981 |
Played |
11 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 2) |
| |
1981-1982 |
Played |
13 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1982-1983 |
Played |
6 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1983-1984 |
Played |
10 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1984-1985 |
Played |
18 |
Scored |
1 |
goal |
(Division 1) |
| |
1985-1986 |
Played |
0 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
| Transferred to Crystal Palace in September 1985 |
| |
1985–1988 Crystal Palace 50 (3)
1987–1990 Southend United 73 (1)
Teams managed
2001–2003 Leyton Orient
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Brush from Plaistow in East London, came through West Ham’s academy, playing in the
Hammers FA Youth Cup winning team in 1975 and signing as a professional for the club
on his eighteenth birthday in 1976. He made his first team debut for the Hammers as
left back in the opening game of the 1977/78 season, a 3-1 defeat by Norwich City at
Upton Park and went on to play a total of twenty-four league games in his first season
in claret and blue.
He made the left back berth his own in the 1978/79 season, being
ever present during the Hammers first season following relegation back to the Second Division.
Despite failing to gain promotion in their first two seasons in the Second Division, the Hammers
did taste success by winning the FA Cup in 1980. Brush though was desperately unlucky to be
only selected as an unused substitute for the final against Arsenal, missing out at left back to
the experience of Frank Lampard, despite having played in all but one of the games during the
cup run. He did though play at Wembley for West Ham a few months later in the 1-0 defeat to
Liverpool in the Charity Shield and also made four appearances in the Hammers European Cup
Winners Cup campaign in the same season.
However, following the emergence Ray Stewart’s full back partnership with Lampard, Brush’s
first team opportunities became limited and he made only thirty-four league starts over the
next four seasons. He did though win a Second Division Championship winners medal in 1981/82,
as the Hammers were promoted back to the First Division.
Brush played more regularly during the
1984/85 season, following Lampard’s decision to withdraw from first team contention in 1984,
and during the season he scored his only West Ham goal, against Queens Park Rangers at Upton Park
on New Years Day 1985.
But facing strong competition for the left back position from both Steve Walford and George Parris,
he eventually decided to join Crystal Palace in September 1985 on loan, the deal becoming permanent
three months later.
Brush was a highly valuable squad member over his almost ten years at West Ham,
playing a total of one hundred and eighty-six first team games for the Hammers. But after his initial
breakthrough to the side, he was just unable to sustain the consistency to become a permanent member
of the well-established Hammers back four of the time. (Mark Matthews)