DOBSON: I played my part

I started to wonder. Surely, a two-year playing stint at Bury in the mid-80's, wouldn't go down in anybody's personal lifetime achievements?

But Brian explained: "It was back in May 1974. I got a call from Jimmy Adamson. He told me that you had been called up for the England squad and couldn't make the end of season tour.

"I fully expected a week in somewhere like Magaluf, but then he told me to pack the tuxedo because we were going on a three week cruise on the QE2."

As a 17-year-old, first year professional, to say he was shocked was a massive understatement.

"I was on £22 a week and had no savings at all. I hired a dinner jacket and I borrowed £50 from my parents but in the end I didn't need it because the lads were fantastic," added Flynn.

"They wouldn't let me buy anything. I couldn't drink anyway, with the gaffer and chairman Bob Lord looking on, but even for coffees or ice creams I never had to put my hand in my pocket.

"In fact, I came home with the very same £50 still intact. Whenever the lads meet up we still talk about that once in a lifetime trip. A brilliant experience."

Brian always wanted to be a footballer and signed for Cardiff City as a 14-year-old schoolboy but at the end of the season his name was overlooked on the registration forms and Swansea got wind that he may be available for the following season.

"But then Bill Newlands the Burnley scout made contact and when Dave Blakey the Burnley chief scout drove all the way down to South Wales to invite me up to Turf Moor, that was it.

"I knew all about their reputation for bringing on young players and when I saw the facilities there was only one place for me to go."

Flynny made his debut as an 18-year-old at Arsenal where the Clarets drew 1-1 with Colin Waldron getting the equaliser and it's funny how the month of November has played a significant part in Brian's life and career.

"I made my debut for Burnley, my debut for Wales, I went to Leeds, I came back to Burnley, I went to Cardiff and got married, all in that month.

"My first International appearance for Wales was against Luxembourg at Swansea when I came on as sub and in the next match we became the first British team to beat Hungary in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium."

But it was in the Home International match against Scotland, played at Cardiff in 1975, where Brian will forever be remembered in Welsh football folklore.

Who could ever forget the magnificent one touch football that ripped through the Scottish rearguard, culminating in Flynny's clinical finish?

"The funny thing about that goal is that whenever they show the clip, it always starts with Malcolm Page the Birmingham midfielder, picking up possession around the half way line but, in fact, it was our keeper Dai Davies who first instigated the move.

"Whenever I see him, he always greets me with 'Hey Flynny, I bloody started that goal but I never get a mention'.

"Dai's catch and throw out to Malcolm set up a quick counter attack. I received it from Page then I exchanged first time passes with John Mahoney.

"Next it's into John Toshack, who is just inside the 18-yard box, and from his return I side-footed it into the bottom corner. Five one touch passes ending with a goal. That put us 2-0 up but Scotland fought back and it ended up 2-2"

At 20 years of age Brian was on his way out of the club. He knew about the unwritten rule at Burnley where one player would be sold each season to help finance the club but had no inkling that Leeds were showing any interest.

"On deadline day of the previous season, I did find out that Ipswich manager Bobby Robson had made an offer of £100,000, plus Roger Osborn, in part-exchange but Bob Lord wanted a straight cash deal, so that fell through.

"But at the start of the next season Harry Potts told me that an offer from QPR had been accepted and I could go down and talk to them.

"I was in manager Frank Sibley's office and the phone rings. He passes it over to me saying its Harry Potts. Harry says 'Don't say anything. Just get yourself back on the train. Leeds have come in with the same deal.'

"That was great of Harry, he didn't have to tell me, and so I just said 'Okay boss'.

"Leeds had finished third the previous season and had some great players in their side - Eddie and Frank Gray, Joe Jordan, Arthur Graham, Paul Reaney and Alan Clarke - so it was an easy decision."

Brian enjoyed his time at Leeds but the club were in a bit of a financial crisis (so what's new?) and he returned for a second spell at Turf Moor.

Spells at Cardiff, Swansea, Doncaster and Bury followed before he first ventured into the coaching side of the game.

"I'd become big friends with Billy Hamilton during my Burnley days and we agreed that if either of us got a managerial position we would get the other one involved.

"Billy had retired with a knee injury at Oxford and he rang me on Boxing Day to tell me he'd got the Limerick job. 'Where's that and what standard is it?' I asked him.

"He told me that it's on the coast of Ireland but didn't know anything about the league but suggested we should go over and take a look. And that's what we did."

Brian held a player-coach position and between them they saved the club from relegation. He left soon afterwards and at 29 fully expected to renew his playing career in England but that didn't materialise.

"I got in touch with a few managers but nothing happened until Doncaster came back for me.

"During that period I was working for the PFA in their Community Programme so I was kept busy and I was promoted within the organisation to become Regional Manager based in Manchester."

Then Wrexham came in for him as a non contract player but when manager Dixie McNeil left, the chairman asked him to take over. He spent over a decade as their manager, which is unheard of in these days of club management.

"Wrexham always had great cup runs in the 1970s, in fact they were beaten by both Burnley and Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and also reached the quarters in the European Cup Winner's Cup.

"I took over in 1989 and the Cup victories against Arsenal and West Ham during that time, gave the club such a high profile.

"Wrexham were a club that had always supported the manager with only four appointments in 20 years, so we were able to put long term policies in place at the Racecourse Ground.

"I wanted to set up a youth policy similar to those Burnley days.

"The chairman, Pryce Griffiths, was from the old school, a lovely man, who ran the club professionally and let me get on with the job. We started to produce players and in the 10 year period we gave debuts to 39 teenagers.

"I reckoned that if we could produce one player a year from the youth system, then the club was heading in the right direction. It's always been my philosophy to give kids a chance. It's the only way.

"Of those, 29 are still playing professional football. I feel everybody needs a break at whatever level.

"I'll tell you a story about Glen Johnson- you know the lad who has just signed for Chelsea for £6m?

"Well he was struggling at West Ham so Glen Roeder loaned him out to Millwall. The reports coming back were poor. He was playing with no confidence at all but Glen Roeder had an injury crisis and he decided to recall him and play him in the first team.

"Everybody was saying he was crazy - he'll let you down, he'll never do it. But Roeder stuck him in and after only 12 first team games Johnson gets a dream move."

After leaving Swansea earlier this season, Brian is now looking forward to his next managerial appointment. He has never lost his enthusiasm for the game and is itching to get back into the day to day demands and responsibilities of running a football club.

"I was very lucky to come to Burnley. They taught me a lot about the game and about life.

"You know many people outside of the game told me I'd never have a career because of my size but with Burnley it was never once an issue with either the manager or any of his coaching staff.

"They never mentioned it and only ever discussed helping me to become a better player and that's how I see my role in the future- developing young players."

If nothing happens in the next few months, Bryan won't worry. Come November he'll be inundated with offers!