Tony Brown (English footballer)

Early life

One of three siblings, Brown moved at an early age from his birthplace Oldham to Wythenshawe, Manchester. He was a keen Manchester United supporter as a boy, but his football idol was the then Manchester City striker Denis Law, who later signed for United just as Brown was beginning his own career as a footballer. Brown represented the South Manchester Boys team, before progressing to play for Manchester Boys and then the Lancashire County team. He suffered from asthma from three months old until the age of fourteen, but nonetheless had ambitions to play football. As he later said, "I'd always wanted to be a professional footballer; that's all I'd ever dreamed of doing." As a 15-year-old, he had agreed to sign for Manchester City when West Bromwich Albion's Manchester-based scout John Shaw persuaded Brown to take a trial at Albion. Brown responded by scoring a hat-trick in a practice match and some years later reflected:

First team breakthrough

Brown joined West Bromwich Albion as an apprentice professional on 13 April 1961, earning a wage of £6 a week. After two seasons playing youth football, he made his reserve team debut in the final Central League game of 1962–63, scoring in a 3–2 defeat to Manchester United reserves. He turned professional on 27 September 1963 and was immediately called up to the first team squad for the away match at Ipswich Town the following day. Eddie Readfern was unable to participate in the game due to illness, which meant that Brown was given his league debut, just a few days before his 18th birthday; his equalising goal helped Albion to a 2–1 away win. Readfern was recalled for the next game however, meaning that Brown immediately returned to the reserves, although Brown did return to the first team in mid-October, when he scored on his home debut which Albion went on to win 4–3 against Aston Villa. He was selected sporadically by Albion manager Jimmy Hagan during the remainder of 1963–64 and finished the campaign on five goals in thirteen appearances. In the latter part of the season he missed four league games when he was called up to the England Youth squad for the UEFA European Youth Tournament in the Netherlands. England won the competition but Brown was not selected for any of the games. Brown became a regular first team player during the early part of the 1964–65 campaign, appearing in Albion's first 12 league games of the season. During this period he scored six goals, including his first professional hat-trick, which came in a 4–1 win against Sunderland. However he lost his place shortly after the signing of Jeff Astle and played just five more games that season. A desire to play first team football led him to submit a transfer request, which Jimmy Hagan turned down, but Brown continued his scoring run in the reserve team, hitting 22 goals in 20 games.

Cup successes and England call-up

At the start of the 1965–66 season, Brown was still playing in the reserves, but an injury to Clive Clark in September 1965 gave him the opportunity to reclaim his first team place. Brown scored against Everton on his return and remained a regular in the side for the rest of the season, scoring 17 goals in 35 league games. His tally in the league was just short of team mates John Kaye and Jeff Astle, who each scored 18 times, but Brown finished as the club's top scorer overall—with 27 goals—due to his goals in the Football League Cup. Albion were taking part in the competition for the first time, after the FA offered the winners a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Brown became the first player to score in every round of the League Cup, including a hat-trick in the semi-final, second leg against Peterborough United. In the final, Brown's goal helped his team to a 4–1 second leg victory over West Ham United. Albion won 5–3 on aggregate to take the trophy and secure Brown his first major honour. He has since said of the game:

Brown missed two months of the following season due to a back injury. He made his return in the second leg of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against DOS Utrecht, when he took—and scored—his first penalty kick in senior football; he went on to become Albion's regular penalty taker, scoring 51 of 61 spot-kicks during his time at the club. He scored twice more in the Utrecht match and as of September 2008 remains the only Albion player to have scored a hat-trick in a European competition. Albion again reached the League Cup Final, which was played at Wembley for the first time. This time however, Brown was on the losing side as Albion lost 3–2 to Third Division Queens Park Rangers, having led 2–0 at half-time. In May 1968 he won an FA Cup winners medal as Albion beat Everton 1–0 after extra time. Brown played for the young England side in April 1969 against the full England side and in July 1969 he married Irene, with whom he had two children: Paul was born in 1977 and Adam in 1981. Brown's best man was his Albion team-mate Jeff Astle. He played in the 1970 League Cup Final, where he picked up his second runners-up tankard as Albion lost 2–1 to Manchester City. In 1970–71 Brown was the leading scorer in Division One with 28 goals, and was rewarded with his only full England cap on 19 May 1971, playing in a goalless draw against Wales at Wembley.

Relegation and promotion

He remained at Albion after their relegation to Division Two at the end of 1972–73. A testimonial match was staged for Brown at the Hawthorns on 6 May 1974, an Albion / Aston Villa side taking on a Wolves / Birmingham side. He played a major role in Albion's return to the top flight in 1976, scoring the goal that clinched promotion in a 1–0 win away at his home town club Oldham Athletic. In 1977–78, he played in the FA Cup semi-final against Ipswich at Highbury. He scored a penalty but Albion lost the match 3–1 and Brown called it "the worst day of my life".

Later career and retirement

Brown remained at the Hawthorns until the summer of 1980 when he moved to the United States to join the New England Tea Men. In a seventeen-year career at the Hawthorns, Brown had broken both the appearance and goalscoring records for the Baggies, scoring 218 goals in 574 league games. He returned to the UK after the 1981 NASL season, playing once for the West Bromwich Albion reserve side in September 1981. The following month, on 8 October 1981, the Torquay United managerial team of Frank O'Farrell and Bruce Rioch persuaded Brown to join Torquay, with a second testimonial staged in his honour on 7 December 1981 when Torquay faced Manchester United at Plainmoor. Brown lived up to his reputation with 11 goals in 45 league appearances for Torquay before moving to non-league Stafford Rangers in 1983. He later coached at Birmingham City (in the 1987–88 season he was assistant to Garry Pendrey) and West Bromwich Albion. Brown is currently a football expert summariser for BBC Radio WM on West Bromwich Albion matches.

Brown was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations in 2004. In July 2007 he was voted into the PFA Centenary Hall of Fame, then in 2009 he was awarded a place in the Birmingham Walk of Stars, winning the West Bromwich Albion vote. Brown was given the Freedom of the Borough of Sandwell live on air on Beacon Radio and Mercia by the head of Sandwell Council in May 2010. West Bromwich Albion unveiled a statue of Tony Brown at the East Stand of the Hawthorns Stadium on November 6, 2014. Brown's boyhood hero Denis Law was present at the unveiling ceremony along with several Albion players past and present.

Club

Individual