Alexander White Brown (21 December 1877 – 6 March 1944) was a Scottish footballer.
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Personal information | |||
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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 | |||
National team | |||
1904 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
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]
Tottenham Hotspur