Phil Purnell is a former professional association footballer who spent the majority of his career with Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

. Before turning professional in 1985, Purnell played for West Country

West Country

The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...

 non-league sides Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green Rovers F.C.

Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...

, Frome Town

Frome Town F.C.

Frome Town Football Club is an English football club based Frome, a town in the county of Somerset. Founded in 1904, their nickname is the Robins and they play in a predominantly red kit. Their home is Badgers Hill, which has been the club's ground since their formation...

 and Mangotsfield United

Mangotsfield United F.C.

Mangotsfield United F.C. is an English football club based in Mangotsfield, in the Greater Bristol area, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA and Somerset County FA....

, until signing for Bristol Rovers in September 1985. He went on to make 153 league appearances for The Pirates in a seven-and-a-half year spell at the club, scoring twenty-two goals. He was loaned to Swansea City

Swansea City A.F.C.

Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...

 for a month in December 1991, where he played five league games and scored once.

Purnell's playing career ended when he suffered a broken leg in April 1993. He was awarded a testimonial match in the summer of 1994, when Bristol Rovers faced a Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

 side managed by former Rovers manager Gerry Francis

Gerry Francis

Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...

, and featuring a number of former Bristol Rovers players.

After retiring from playing, he worked in insurance

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

, and also continued in football on a part-time basis as assistant manager of Yate Town

Yate Town F.C.

Yate Town F.C. is a football club based in Yate, South Gloucestershire, England. They were established in 1906 as Yate Rovers and changed their name to Yate YMCA in 1946, becoming Yate Town in 1969...

, where his former Rovers teammate Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander

Ian "Jocky" Alexander is a former professional footballer, who played the majority of his career at Bristol Rovers.Alexander played for Rotherham United and Motherwell, Greenock Morton, and spent a year playing in Cyprus with Pezoporikos Larnaca, before joining Rovers in 1986...

 was manager, and also at Winterbourne United

Winterbourne United F.C.

Winterbourne United F.C. are a football club based in Winterbourne, near Bristol, England. They were established in 1911 and joined the Gloucestershire County League in 1992. For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Hellenic Football League Division One West...

.

Sources