Sandy Brown (footballer, born 1877)

Alexander White Brown (21 December 1877 – 6 March 1944) was a Scottish footballer.

Sandy Brown
Personal information
Full nameAlexander White Brown[1]
Date of birth(1877-12-21)21 December 1877[2]
Place of birthMuirkirk, Scotland[1]
Date of death6 March 1944(1944-03-06) (aged 66)
Place of deathNew Zealand
Position(s)Forward
Youth career
1894–1895Glenbuck Athletic
1895–1896Kilsyth Wanderers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1896St Bernard's15(8)
1896–1899Preston North End
1899–1900Portsmouth
1900–1902Tottenham Hotspur46(28)
1902–1903Portsmouth
1903–1905Middlesbrough44(15)
1905–1908Luton Town69(33)
Kettering Town
Nithsdale Wanderers
Ayr United
International career
1904Scotland1(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Brown was a prolific scorer in Scottish youth football, and earned his nickname as the "Glenbuck Goalgetter" as a 16-year-old playing for Glenbuck Athletic.[2] Turning professional with St Bernard's two years later, he was soon induced across the border to English football with Preston North End.[3] After three years, his career continued with Portsmouth, then Tottenham Hotspur.

During the 1900–01 season, Brown scored 15 goals during Tottenham's FA Cup run, including a goal in every round, which resulted in the club becoming the only non-League team to win the Cup. Brown scored both of Tottenham's goals in the first Final against Sheffield United, a 2–2 draw; in the replayed match he scored another as Spurs beat United 3–1 to win the Cup.[2] In total, during his brief spell at Tottenham, Brown scored 64 goals in just 84 domestic games.[4] He also played in the 1901–02 World Championship fixtures against Hearts, lining up alongside Sandy Tait who came from the same Ayrshire mining village, Glenbuck.[3]

A spell back at Portsmouth and a time at Middlesbrough followed before Brown settled at Luton Town in 1905.[2] After 33 goals in 69 league games, Brown left for Kettering Town before returning to Scotland with first Nithsdale Wanderers, then Ayr United.[5][6]

Brown won one cap for Scotland, in a 1–0 defeat by England during the 1903–04 British Home Championship.[7] He had been selected in 1902 against the same opposition and scored a goal,[3] but that match in Glasgow was declared unofficial after a stand collapsed, killing dozens and injuring hundreds.[3]

His younger brother Tommy was also a footballer and a forward,[1] who also played for Glenbuck Athletic and Portsmouth, as well as Leicester Fosse, Chesterfield and Dundee.[8]

Career statistics

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International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland190410
Total10

Honours

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Tottenham Hotspur

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sandy & Tommy Brown, Glenbuck Cherrypickers, ScottishLeague.net, 22 August 2013
  2. ^ a b c d Before Shankly: Sandy Brown, Glenbuck's first Scotland internationalist, Scottish Sport History, 2 September 2013
  3. ^ a b c d Hotspur Towers - Sandy Brown, India Spurs, 13 September 2017
  4. ^ Sandy Brown, 11v11.com
  5. ^ Collings, Timothy (1985). The Luton Town Story 1885-1985. Luton Town F.C. p. 197. ISBN 0-951067-90-7.
  6. ^ Joyce, Mike. "Sandy Brown". Since 1888. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  7. ^ Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele (17 October 2019). "Scotland - International Matches 1901-1910". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  8. ^ Tommy Brown Foxes Talk
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