Stuart Thomas Myall (born 12 November 1974) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began his career in the Football League at Brighton & Hove Albion and after an unsuccessful spell at Brentford, he dropped into non-League football.
Myall grew up in Eastbourne, East Sussex and was head boy at Cavendish School in the town.[3]
Born in Eastbourne, Myall joined the Brighton & Hove Albion's Centre Of Excellence at age 11.[4] He progressed into the first team squad as a full back, but injury and weight problems led to him being transfer-listed by manager Liam Brady in September 1994.[5] Myall worked to improve his fitness and under manager Jimmy Case, he proved to be "a revelation in a midfield anchor role" during the 1995–96 season and earned "a reputation for being a neat passer".[5] He made 93 appearances, scoring four goals,[2] prior to his release at the end of the 1995–96 season.[3] In 2002, Myall recalled that he "had a great time at Brighton. It was what I always wanted to do and I was at the Albion from a very young age. I had a really fantastic time and I was disappointed when I was released in 1996 because I had played quite a few games for the club. But we got relegated and Jimmy Case wanted to bring in his own players".[3]
Myall signed a two-year contract with Second Division club Brentford on a free transfer during the 1996 off-season.[6] He failed to win a call into the first team squad during the 1996–97 season under manager David Webb and instead played for the club's reserve team,[7] scoring six goals in 20 appearances.[8] Under new manager Eddie May for the 1997–98 season, Myall had to wait until 1 November 1997 to make his debut, with a starting appearance in a 0–0 draw at AFC Bournemouth.[9] Following May's sacking and the appointment of Micky Adams, Myall failed to make any further appearances and he departed the club in January 1998,[10] having negotiated a settlement on his contract.[11]
Myall transferred to Southern League Premier Division club Hastings Town prior to the start of the 1998–99 season, having previously had a spell on loan at the club during the 1996–97 season.[12] The club resigned from the Southern League in 1999 after a fifth-place finish, but was reinstated to the Southern League First Division East for the 1999–00 season.[13][14] Myall won the first silverware of his career during the 2001–02 season, when he helped Hastings to the Southern League First Division East title.[14] Myall suffered an injury hit 2002–03 season and his woes were compounded by the club (now renamed Hastings United) being relegated straight back to the Southern League First Division East.[15][16] He made 17 appearances and scored three goals during the 2002–03 season.[16] Myall left Hastings in February 2004,[17] after making 19 appearances and scoring four goals during the 2003–04 season.[18] Myall made over 250 appearances during his time with the Arrows.[19]
Myall transferred to Southern League Premier Division club Eastbourne Borough in February 2004 and made eight appearances during what remained of the 2003–04 season.[17][20] Despite an 11th-place finish, the club was elevated to the new Conference South for the 2004–05 season.[21] He made only 9 appearances prior to his departure in February 2005.[22][23]
Myall transferred to Isthmian League Premier Division club Folkestone Invicta on 12 February 2005.[22] He made 9 appearances and scored one goal during what remained of the 2004–05 season.[23] Myall was a virtual ever-present during the 2005–06 season and made 41 appearances, scoring three goals.[24][25] He made six appearances during the early part of the 2006–07 season, before leaving the club in September 2006.[26] Myall made 56 appearances and scored four goals during his time with the Seasiders.[23][24][25][26]
Myall transferred to Isthmian League Premier Division club Horsham in September 2006 and made 31 appearances and scored one goal during the 2006–07 season.[26] Myall left Horsham at the end of the 2007–08 season,[27] after making 33 appearances over the course of the campaign.[28] He made 64 appearances and scored one goal during his time with the Hornets.[26][28]
Myall transferred to Sussex County League Second Division club Eastbourne United Association in December 2012.[4]
While resident in Malaysia, Myall played for Kuala Lumpur Expat & Veterans League club KL International.[29] After moving to Hong Kong, he played for veterans' club Discovery Bay, which finished as champions of the Legal League in the 2014–15 season.[30]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Myall spent time in the US, coaching children in Atlanta and Chicago.[3] As of April 2022, he was manager of Eastbourne Town Vets.[31][32]
During a Q&A for a Brentford matchday programme in September 1997, Myall revealed he supported Liverpool as a boy.[33] Myall worked office jobs in the early 2000s,[3] including as a computer retail salesman in London.[5] He was inspired to become a PE teacher and enrolled on a course at Brighton University in 2002,[3] from which he graduated with a PE degree in 2005.[34] He worked as a Head of department at a state school in Lambeth and later emigrated to Kuala Lumpur.[29] Myall moved from Kuala Lumpur to take up the position of Head of Secondary Physical Education at the Discovery Bay International School in Hong Kong.[34] He moved back to Britain in 2015 to become a Head of Section and teacher of sport at Gildredge House Free School in his hometown,[35] Eastbourne.[34]
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| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Total | 80 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 93 | 4 | |
| Brentford | 1997–98[9] | Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Hastings United | 2002–03[36] | Southern League Premier Division | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2003–04[20] | Southern League First Division East | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | ||
| Total | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 7 | |||
| Eastbourne Borough | 2003–04[20] | Southern League Premier Division | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05[23] | Conference South | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
| Folkestone Invicta | 2004–05[23] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2005–06[24] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07[26] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 54 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 56 | 4 | |||
| Horsham | 2006–07[26] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[28] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Total | 56 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 64 | 1 | |||
| Eastbourne United Association | 2012–13[37] | Sussex County League Second Division | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 242 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 265 | 16 | ||
Discovery Bay
