Birmingham City struck gold after £600k Brentford transfer deal: View | OneFootball

As far as good transfer business goes, Birmingham City's £600K purchase of left-back Martin Grainger in 1996 was an absolute masterstroke.

Key Takeaways

Modern day football has seen Championship clubs signing players for huge sums of money becoming the norm. Some work out, some don't but you'll struggle to find a better value-for-money piece of recruitment than Birmingham City's £600k capture of Brentford defender Martin Grainger in any recent era of the game.

Born in the London borough of Enfield in 1972, Grainger was perhaps ahead of his time as a dynamic, attacking full-back we see more regularly these days.

Starting out at Colchester United in 1989, the left-sided player soon forced his way into the first-team picture with the U's. His impressive displays caught the attention of West Londoners Brentford, with the Bees paying around £60k to take the then 21-year-old to Griffin Park in 1993.

Again excelling with his swashbuckling attacking style and tenacious tackling, Grainger would be on the move again three years later, joining second-tier side Birmingham in 1996, managed by the late Trevor Francis at that time, for a fee just north of half a million pounds.

The tough, yet talented full-back would go on to become a Blues legend, still much revered among supporters to this day. Playing nearly 250 times in all competitions for the St Andrews club, Grainger led by example with his wholehearted approach and leadership vital to Francis' side as they regularly flirted with success in league and cup.

The defender would get his deserved chance in the top-flight, as the Blues won the 2001/02 First Division play-off final, seeing off Norwich City on penalties at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The energetic full-back retired professionally in 2005 when persistent injuries began to hamper his availability. It brought an end to a 13-year career, with nearly nine years in the second city. The defender, whose committed approach often led to him falling foul of the officials, did have a brief loan spell at Midlands neighbours Coventry City in 2003 along the way.

But it's with Birmingham City that Grainger played the bulk of his near-400 professional appearances, and with whom he'll always be held in the highest of regard.

Grainger's left foot was a deadly set-piece weapon

As well as his crunching challenges and unerring commitment, Grainger was a notable set-piece specialist who was known for his ability at attacking free-kicks.

His left foot packed a punch, and opponents feared giving away fouls in the vicinity of their penalty area, with the diminutive full-back more than capable of punishing them.

Grainger scored on 28 occasions during his time at St Andrew's, many of which came from distance as the full-back consistently showcased his all-round game.

He had it all, certainly at second-tier level, where he's remembered as one of the modern era's better performers, and, perhaps, one of Birmingham City's best-ever left-backs.

The no-nonsense player briefly tried his hand at management after retiring, taking the reins at non-league Cheshunt in 2008.

That didn't last, however, and Grainger has found work in logistics more recently, initially becoming a delivery driver and a chauffeur. Latterly, however, the 52-year-old has taken on the role of a London train driver.

It's another indicator of how the game has changed over the last two decades, certainly as far as finances and wages are concerned. Many Championship players these days are on life-changing weekly salaries, where, should they spend the best part of a decade in the second tier, and are sensible with their money, they're made for life, with little need to find full-time, manual employment once their career comes to an end.