Sandy Brown (footballer, born 1877)

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

Sandy Brown
Personal information
Full name Alexander White Brown[1]
Date of birth (1877-12-21)21 December 1877[2]
Place of birth Muirkirk, Scotland[1]
Date of death 6 March 1944(1944-03-06) (aged 66)
Place of death New Zealand
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1894–1895 Glenbuck Athletic
1895–1896 Kilsyth Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1896 St Bernard's 15 (8)
1896–1899 Preston North End
1899–1900 Portsmouth
1900–1902 Tottenham Hotspur 46 (28)
1902–1903 Portsmouth
1903–1905 Middlesbrough 44 (15)
1905–1908 Luton Town 69 (33)
Kettering Town
Nithsdale Wanderers
Ayr United
International career
1904 Scotland 1 (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 team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1904 1 0
Total 1 0

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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