I was an FA cup-winning captain but I quit & took on £60-a-week builder job… now I live in a hobbit hole with my wife

A NEWCASTLE FC star who captained an FA cup-winning side gave it up to take on a £60-a-week builder job – and now lives in a “hobbit hole” with his wife.

In a career that spanned nearly two decades, Brian Kilcline established himself as one of football’s cult heroes.

Brian Kilcline spent two seasons at Newcastle UnitedPA:Empics Sport

PA:Empics SportKilcline captained Coventry City when they won the the FA Cup in 1987[/caption]

But after hanging up his boots, Kilcline took on a job as a builder’s labourer – where he earned a weekly £60 for 18 months work.

He told the Daily Mail: “It wasn’t about money, I was learning the trade.

“When you stop learning in life, you might as well give up”.

It was these skills that gave him the nuts and bolts to carve out his Cornwall “hobbit hole”.

The 6ft 4in centre-half – who was Coventry City’s 1987 FA Cup-winning captain – lives in the bizarre space in St Austell, Cornwall.

The outside of the house includes a muddy bank, a pond and a statue of a naked mermaid.

Pointing to the pond, Kilcline said: “This is now the swimming pool.

“There were 20 newts in it yesterday and one very bad-tempered frog.

“We had to serve them an eviction notice!”

The body of the house – put together two months earlier – comes complete with a wood-panelled door which opens to reveal a tiny bed.

Lynn said: “Before you state the obvious, it extends so Brian can sleep,” she said.

“Either that or I put him in the little shed outside, if he misbehaves.”

Inside the home, the walls are decorated with feathered arrows, with a long bow hung up close by.

Both are used to get in some practice on the target which sits outside.

The site’s main house sits 20 yards away and in dire need of renovation, but Kilcline insists that isn’t a priority just yet.

“Ah, that can wait,” Kilcline says.

“This is the fun part. The journey is better than the destination.

“We’re in no hurry to leave this.”

Brian, who was famous for his long hair and moustache, played for a number of teams during an illustrious career.

He enjoyed stints at Notts County, Newcastle United and Swindon Town among others.

His crowning moment, however, came when he captained Coventry City to a dramatic extra time victory against Tottenham Hotspur to win the FA Cup in 1987.

It comes after a former football ace who played Champions League football for Manchester United hung up his boots and trained as a builder and plumber.

Elsewhere, a former Man City right-back who capped for England’s U20 side now rakes in £35m-per-year after launching his own clothing line.