Ken Coote

Early years

Coote began his career as a youth at Alperton Old Boys, a team managed by the father of future England manager Ron Greenwood. He moved on to join Middlesex Senior League club Wembley as an amateur and impressed enough to spend two weeks on trial at First Division club Burnley in the spring of 1949.

Brentford

Ron Greenwood, then playing for Second Division club Brentford, knew of Coote and recommended to manager Jackie Gibbons that Brentford sign him. Coote joined the Bees as an amateur on 26 March 1949 and signed a professional contract on 9 May 1949. He made his debut for the club in a 4–1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Griffin Park on the opening day of the 1949–50 season. He began his Brentford career as an inside left and scored his first goal for the club after 20 seconds of an eventual 4–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in September 1949. Coote's Brentford career failed to ignite until player-manager Tommy Lawton selected him as left half for a match versus Notts County in March 1953. Coote gave a strong performance in a 5–0 victory which eased the club's fears of relegation to the Third Division South. Coote became a near-ever present for Brentford and remained with the club after suffering relegation to the Third Division South in the 1953–54 season. Coote's durability over the next 9 years saw him claim the club record for consecutive FA Cup appearances (30) and aside from playing on both flanks at full back, he also played in six other…

Coote's exploits for Brentford saw him win representative honours. He was named as a reserve for the Third Division South representative team in a match against the Third Division North on 2 April 1957. Coote also played for the representative London XI team, which reached the final of the 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He played in the group stage and semi-final matches against a Basel XI and Lausanne Sports respectively. Coote played in the first leg of the final, which was drawn 2–2 with Barcelona.

After completing his National Service and before signing for Brentford, Coote worked for his father in removals. After retiring from football, Coote used the £1,000 earned from his second testimonial match to buy a three-bedroom semi-detached house in the Brentford area. He later became manager of a betting shop in Hounslow, owned by former Brentford teammate Frank Morrad. On 2 August 2003, Coote died aged 75 following a short illness. He had been living in Whitton.

Brentford

Football League Fourth Division: 1962–63 Individual

Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1961–62 Brentford Hall of Fame