Bruce Bannister  Bruce Ian Bannister (born 14 April 1947) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He played in the Football League for Bradford City, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, and Hull City before finishing his playing career in France with USL Dunkerque. While at Bristol Rovers, Bannister and teammate Alan Warboys perfected the 'Smash and Grab' method of football. Following his retirement from football in 1982, Bannister founded a successful sports clothing shop, SportsShoes.com based in Bradford.