Bamber Bridge No.2 Matt Lawlor salutes the ‘King of Brig’ Chris Marlow

The long-serving left-sided utility man has been a loyal servant of Brig for more than a decade.

Not always the first name on the teamsheet during his time at the club, Marlow’s presence has remained constant at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium.

His longevity means he has gained cult status among the supporters and he is affectionately known as the King of Brig on the terraces.

It was Marlow’s goal in the play-off final against Prescot Cables which sealed Brig’s promotion to the NPL Premier Division a couple of seasons ago.

And he has proven his value once more at the start of this season with a couple of important strikes.

Marlow’s curler from outside the area in the 90th minute got Brig’s season up and running with their first win against Ashton United.

And on Tuesday night, he rescued a point – their first on the road this season – with a late headed goal at Buxton as a substitute.

“Chris is in his 10th or 11th season at the club,” said central defender Lawlor, who is also the captain.

“The supporters call him The King and he’s well liked by everybody – he’s been a massive player for us over the years,

“He’s the ideal squad member – he never complains. He’s not always in the starting XI and that might be sometimes down to the formation we play.

“We have been playing the diamond formation and that probably does not suit him as he is left-midfielder or left-back.

“Chris came on and we 
want player to impact the game and in the last 15 minutes that’s what he’s done. He’s come up with some important goals for us. We want people to have that desire to come off the bench and make a difference and he certainly did that.”

Lawlor felt his side were probably worthy of all three points against Buxton, although what pleased him most was the performance, especially after last weekend’s abject surrender to Trafford in the FA Cup.

“Saturday was the worst performance that myself and Joey have been involved in as a management duo.

“But we did really well on Tuesday and should have come away with three points – we hit the bar twice, post twice.

“It was good to get that first away point because that’s something we have been looking at.”

This weekend, Brig welcome back Garry Pett and callum Spooner to their squad for the visit of fourth-placed Basford United.

“I have been speaking to a few lads from Lancaster City about Basford and they said they are really good,” added Lawlor.

“They got beaten 4-0 but we are at home and we fancy ourselves against anybody when we are at home.”