Robert Ernest Browning (24 June 1888 – 16 February 1949)[1] was an English professional footballer who played as an inside-forward for Queens Park Rangers and Southampton in the Southern League in the 1910s. He was nicknamed "Lightning".[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Ernest Browning | ||
| Date of birth | 24 June 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Kettering, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 February 1949 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Bream, Gloucestershire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside-forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1905–1910 | Kettering Town | ||
| 1910–1913 | Queens Park Rangers | 54 | (20) |
| 1913 | Southampton | 6 | (0) |
| 1913–1914 | Brentford | 0 | (0) |
| 1921 | Bream | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editBrowning was born in Kettering and played his early football for his home-town club before joining Queens Park Rangers in the 1910 close season,[3] although he did not sign a full-time contract until 8 October that year.[4] At Q.P.R., he was a regular scorer during his first season and was the club's top-scorer in the 1910–11 season with 18 goals.[5] His scoring dropped off during his second season with the club, where he only scored once in 10 games played, in a draw against Watford on 22 January 1912. However, he would form part of the Q.P.R. team which won the Southern League during 1911–12. He did not play in Ranger's subsequent FA Charity Shield loss against Blackburn Rovers.[6] The following season, he again scored only once for Rangers in twelve games.[7]
In February 1913, his previous goalscoring form attracted him to fellow Southern League club, Southampton who were having difficulty filling the inside-left position,[3] having used eight different players so far that season.[8] Browning was immediately drafted into the first-team, making his Southampton debut at West Ham United on 15 February.[8] Although match reports described him as "a clever forward with an accurate shot",[3] Browning was unable to reproduce his previous goalscoring form and after six matches, with only one victory, he was dropped in favour of Bill Sanders, a soldier on loan from the Royal Artillery at Portsmouth.[8]
In the summer of 1913, Browning was released and returned to West London to join Brentford,[3] for whom he failed to make an appearance.[9]
Later career
editDuring the First World War, Browning served in the Middlesex Regiment and later the Agricultural Labour Corps.[2] He then settled in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, where he worked as a coal-miner, playing as a permit player for Bream Amateurs.[1]
Honours
edit- Queens Park Rangers
- Southern League First Division: 1911–12
References
edit- ^ a b Chalk, Holley & Bull 2013, p. 30.
- ^ a b "Bob Browning". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d Holley & Chalk 1992, p. 52.
- ^ Macey 2009, p. 549.
- ^ Macey 2009, p. 279.
- ^ Macey 2009, p. 280.
- ^ Macey 2009, pp. 282–283.
- ^ a b c Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 53.
- ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 101, 362. ISBN 0951526200.
Bibliography
edit- Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
- Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.
- Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
- Macey, Gordon (2009). Queens Park Rangers: The Complete Record. Derby, UK: Breedon. ISBN 978-1-85983-714-6.