On leaving school in 1969, Brian signed as an apprentice for Aston Villa who had just been relegated to the Third Division for the first and only time in their history. He made his senior debut on 30 October 1971, in a 4 – 1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park. In that same season, he also helped Villa win the FA Youth Cup. He was part of Villa's League Cup winning teams of 1975 and 1977 and s...