Brits abroad: Former Crystal Palace hero Mark Bright discusses his brief stay in Switzerland with FC Sion

Mark Bright found fame at Crystal Palace, forming a deadly strike partnership with Ian Wright and netting more than 100 goals for the Eagles. He later moved to Sheffield Wednesday and remains the club’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League era.

But in January 1997, Bright embarked on a new challenge in Switzerland with FC Sion. His four-month stay saw him enjoy the charms of the Swiss lifestyle and endure the machinations of a dubious club president. There was even the sight of his team-mates left starstruck by Michelle Gayle.

What there wasn’t was a single competitive appearance as registration problems scuppered the transfer. Speaking to Sky Sports as part of his commitment to the charity Prostate Cancer UK and their Men United campaign, here’s Bright’s story...

How did the move to FC Sion come about?

Things weren’t going well for me at Sheffield Wednesday. David Pleat had moved in and I was kind of out of the team. It was coming round to January and my agent said to me that a French agent had spoken to him saying that a Swiss club he knew were looking for an English-style centre-forward.

They were literally looking through the Rothmans (now known as the Sky Sports Football Yearbook) and going through clubs and players. My name had been thrown into the mix and this agent wanted to know if I’d be interested in going out to Switzerland.

Was it a big decision to move abroad?

It was just really strange how it all happened so quickly. I bought a big trunk and I was off to Switzerland.

I’d just got married in the November but I’d always fancied the idea of moving abroad. Always. When I was at Crystal Palace, I’d actually gone to night-school to try and learn Spanish. I felt that if the opportunity ever came up and someone was interested, if they knew I was fluent in Spanish it might convince them to take a chance on me. So it was in my mind.

But I was 34 when the chance came so I just felt it was only going to be for a year or so and it was worth giving it a go. I flew out with my agent, met there agent at Basel and then drove down. It was just really strange how it all happened so quickly. I bought a big trunk and I was off to Switzerland.

What were your first impressions?

If you’ve ever been to Switzerland you’ll know that it’s a really beautiful place. I just couldn’t understand that you went over there in January and they started the pre-season in February when the pitches are frozen. But it was like clockwork there and they knew it would stop snowing soon and all be OK.

I got an apartment with some electric shutters. You’d press the button and it would reveal the mountains and the ski-run and all that. They gave me a car. I was excited by it, I suppose. I’d googled the team and seen that Liverpool had just played them. I’d done a bit of research and it all looked good. I even went to college three times a week to try and learn French.

How was life in the dressing room?

Incey’s wife met me the other side of the mountain, we drove to the stadium to watch the game and then I went back. I did that a couple of times just to watch him play.

Well, my (now) ex-wife (Michelle Gayle), who was a singer at the time, said to me: ‘Oh my god, I’m coming to Switzerland to do a promotion for my new single.’ It was on Bravo or something like that, one of the channels out there.

So I said to the players that my wife was coming over and she’s going to be on the TV. So they all switched on the channel that night and they were really excited. I brought her down to training for some lunch the next day and they wer