It was with great sadness that Raith Rovers Football Club learned of the death of Brian Hetherston.
Brian died at the very young age of just 29 at his home in Coatbridge at the weekend as a result of a suspected epilepsy attack.
Brian Hetherston was born in Bellshill in Lanarkshire on the 23rd November 1976.
The younger brother of former Rovers player and later manager Peter Hetherston, Brian won international honours for Scotland at Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21 levels.
He began his senior career with St Mirren when he signed in 1992 from St Mirren Boys Club.
During his time at Love Street where he was jokingly tagged with the nickname ?Bubbles? by then manager Jimmy Bone, reputedly because of his resemblance to Michael Jackson?s pet monkey of the same name, he gained his one international cap for Scotland at under 21 level against Estonia in 1996.
During season 1997-98 Bubbles was diagnosed with petit mal epilepsy which caused him to miss much of that season.
At the end of the season he moved to Sligo Rovers, but his switch to the Republic of Ireland wasn?t the happiest of times and he was soon on the move again, this time to Holland where he played for half a season with F.C Emmen before signing for Rovers in July 1999.
Stark?s Park wasn?t exactly new territory to Bubbles as he had been a regular visitor to Kirkcaldy along with his other brother Martin as spectators to watch Peter during the glory years of the nineties.
Brian?s time at Stark?s Park was spent mainly in the reserves with the occasional start in the first team, and it is probably down to his illness that he never reached the potential that he showed as a youngster with St Mirren.
Brian was freed by his brother Peter in 2001.
08/03/2006, 4:58 PM
gustavo
RIP Brian remember him being one of the better UK imports from the time.
08/03/2006, 5:05 PM
Redtop
dont think i ever seen him play but its sad that he died so young..RIP
