Everyone at Birtley Town Football Club is saddened by the passing of lifelong fan Brian Ainsley. 

Brian was a hugely popular figure at Birtley Town and could often be seen standing on the halfway line cheering on his beloved Hoops. Brian’s matchday regularly consisted of a couple of Guinness in Wadgey’s Bar alongside a range of sweets for a half-time snack.

A popular figure with players and supporters, Brian has been a season ticket holder at the club since 1993. We were delighted to have Brian as our special guest for our annual presentation evening where he presented Kyle Wharton and James Proctor with their 2025/26 Supporters Player of the Season awards. 

Current manager Paul Foster led the way with tributes to Brian: 

“Legend is a word that is often used in today’s age. When you follow your local club through the highs and more importantly the lows, through good weather and the bad weather, then Brian deserves that title. A gentleman who has never wavered in his love for his club from that same place right on the half way line for over 32 years.

Standing alongside his mates, the late Jackie Lynch and Andy Flanagan, he will be sadly missed. Not only for his weekly packet of sweets to keep people going or his little hip flask during the winter months, he will be massively missed by the club in general. Now that’s a legend!

My thoughts go to his friends and condolences to all his family. He won’t ever be forgotten by the club he loved so much and we loved him! RIP.”

Former Club Secretary and current trustee Colin Beat: “Brian was one of the nicest men anyone could meet. I first met him around 25 years ago when I was asked to help out with Birtley Reserves and we quickly formed a friendship. Brian was an avid supporter of Birtley Town and Birtley Reserves. If he couldn’t make it to a first team game, he would come to Birtley Welfare to get his fix. Often Brian would donate some money to the reserves to help us with equipment.” 

“Every time he came to a game he would fetch a bag of sweets and hand them out. He loved making his own Gin and when asked, he would do any flavour that was asked of him. A lovely man who loved his family and life in general. Birtley Town’s number 1 fan without doubt.  Brian will leave a lasting impression on everyone he met. I’m so happy to have met Brian and so proud to call him my friend. Going to be a massive miss. RIP mate.”
 
 
Former Club Chairman and current trustee Richard Barrett: “When I helped reform the club in 1993 alongside Andy Foster, John Heslington and a few others, Brian would help out whenever he had time and he became a very good friend and top supporter of the club. He was always someone I could go to for advice. His advice was always very valuable and taken from a supporter’s point of view.
“I can’t ever remember him missing a game in the early days whether it was a trip to Whitehaven midweek or a home game against Cleadon in the Wearside League! When I left the club in 1999 under difficult circumstances and going through some tough personal circumstances away from the club, Brian supported me throughout. Something for which I would be eternally grateful for, a real friend in a time of need.”❤️
“I returned to the club in 2016 with Colin Beat and Bob Hunter from my role as Chairman of Birtley St Joseph’s.  Birtley Town FC, at the time, to be honest was a club going through a very difficult period. 
 
“The one good thing was Brian Ainsley was still the number one fan but was very sad of where the club was heading.”
“A year later, we were managed to reach a cup final against Walker Central which we lost 1-0. I took the opportunity to have a pint with Brian after the game and asked him what we needed to do to change the fortunes of the club. He told me some home truths about his opinions on the club. We took his advice and the club began to grow to where it is now…and Brian continued supporting the club with a smile and a varied bag of sweets every game he was able to attend.”
“A true friend and number one supporter who I will truly miss very much……”💔💚🤍⚽️
 
Brian was special guest at our recent award ceremony.

Bob Hunter, Former Club-Treasurer and current committee member: “Brian never stood anywhere else apart from the middle gate. He was the senior ball boy and for quite a few years I was his apprentice, but if the ball went over the fence he would say ‘it’s my job, I will get it!’ He would always have a ball ready to kick on once one had gone over the fence.”

“His packet of minty bullets was legendary always offering them and chatting to away supporters. At coffee time in the clubhouse at half-time it was ‘do want some sugar in your coffee Bob?’ Out would come his hip flask …. Sugar it wasn’t 😳and it was homemade as well.”

“After a good game, not necessarily a win, he would always applaud the players off the field and shake hands with them. After our win in the Northern Alliance cup final against Newcastle University he went into our changing rooms to thank each player and how much did the players appreciate that!”

“A true gentleman and a huge miss ….. a very lucky man in raffle at the club, the amount of time he won and he always just donated it back to club. One of his favourite sayings was against players of a certain age, who shall we say slowed down a bit,  ‘he’s as stiff as a crutch’. A saying that stays with me now when watching a game.  RIP Brian.”

Brian with his yearly season ticket.

Our thoughts are with Brian’s family and friends and we send our condolences, thoughts and love. We are sure that many players, supporters and management will glance to that spot on the halfway line, where Brian was always stood and remember his presence around the club with many happy memories.

Brian Ainsley – Birtley’s number one.