Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney and Riyad Mahrez are just some of the elite players to grace the EFL during their careers. Most players that light up the lower leagues are given the chance to recapture that form in the top flight.
However, a handful of cult heroes never managed to make the jump to the big time. These are the five best EFL players that never appeared in the Premier League or the old First Division.
Lee Trundle
Lee Trundle was always renowned for his flair and his habit of scoring spectacular goals. He may not have been the perfect physical specimen, as he lacked pace and didn’t respond well to intense pressing.
However, his technical prowess and natural skill were clearly abundant. Trundle was also a showman, so his highlights reel is the stuff of legend. It features all manner of wondergoals and dazzling pieces of individual brilliance.
He may not have had the speed or the work rate to play in the Premier League, but his exploits at Swansea left fans with great memories.
Robin Friday
Robin Friday remains one of English football’s greatest cult figures. This exceptionally talented forward starred for Reading and Cardiff City during the 1970s.
He was renowned for his remarkable skill and his unpredictability in possession, which earned him the nickname “lower league George Best”. However, Friday was equally notorious for his off-field antics, which included heavy drinking, smoking and drug abuse.
That put off top flight suitors, ensuring Friday always remained in the EFL. He sadly died aged 38 in 1990, but his performances will live long in the memory of Reading and Cardiff fans.
Brian Clough
Before becoming one of the greatest managers of all time, Brian Clough was a prolific striker in the EFL. He scored an astonishing 251 goals in 274 league appearances for Middlesbrough and Sunderland, and he won two England caps, but he never played in the top division.
His playing career ended prematurely at the age of 29, as he suffered a serious injury in a collision with Bury goalkeeper Chris Harker. He had scored four goals in his last 5 games prior to that match, so it was a hammer blow to Sunderland’s promotion bid. They eventually finished level on points with Chelsea, but they ended up third on goal difference and failed to secure promotion to the top division.
Clough ended his playing career with a goals-per-game ratio of 0.916. That is the highest ratio of any player that scored at least 200 goals in English football history.
Tony Ford
Tony Ford holds the record for the most English league appearances by an outfield player. He played in 931 league matches throughout his storied career, which took in stints at Grimsby, Stoke, West Brom, Bradford, Scunthorpe, Mansfield Town and Rochdale.
Ford is also one of just five players in English football history to make at least 1,000 appearances in competitive matches. The others are Scott McGleish, Graham Alexander, Jamie Cureton, Stuart Pearce and Neil Redfearn. Alexander would have been on this list, but he made 33 Premier League appearances for Burnley in 2009-10, while Cureton is another strong contender.
Despite this remarkable longevity, Ford never played in the top flight, spending his entire career across the lower divisions. He lacked the skill and flair of Trundle and Friday, but he was Mr. Reliable.
Steve Fletcher
Steve Fletcher is firmly established as a Bournemouth legend after playing more than 800 games for the Cherries. He is their all-time appearance record holder, and he also scored over 100 league goals for the club.
Unlike his namesake, Steven Fletcher (the former Wolves and Sunderland striker), he never managed to play in the Premier League. He enjoyed two spells with Bournemouth, from 1992-2007 and then 2009-2013, but he retired two years before their promotion to the top division.
Honourable Mentions
History is packed with quality players that dazzled in the EFL and yet never appeared in the top flight. Here are a few honourable mentions:
- Billy Paynter: An EFL icon who scored 116 league goals in a 17-year career that took in spells at Port Value, Hull, Southend, Bradford, Swindon, Leeds, Brighton, Doncaster, Sheffield United, Carlisle and Hartlepool.
- Ronnie Jepson: A powerful striker who made his mark at clubs such as Huddersfield Town, Bury, and Gillingham thanks to his goalscoring ability and physical presence
- Andy Reid: A Nottingham Forest cult hero, who may not have been mobile enough to play in the top division, but who had more natural ability than many Premier League players.
- Jimmy Chamberlain: This influential midfielder was renowned for his work ethic and playmaking ability during spells at clubs such as Doncaster Rovers and Lincoln City.
- Tommy Tynan: A prolific striker in the lower leagues, particularly for Plymouth Argyle, where he became a club icon.
What About Steve Bull?
You may be wondering, why isn’t Steve Bull on this list? After all, he blazed a trail of destruction across the EFL during his lengthy Wolves career and even earned an England call-up. Well, he actually made two top flight appearances for West Brom before joining Wolves, so he was ineligible.
There will naturally be much debate over who did and didn’t make this list, but the players highlighted above certainly left an indelible mark on the EFL. Whether due to loyalty, timing, or club circumstances, they never made it to the top of the English football pyramid, but they still frequently brought joy to thousands of fans.
