Alexander White Brown (21 December 1877 – 6 March 1944) was a Scottish footballer.
Career
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
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1904 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
Tottenham Hotspur
References
- ^ a b c Sandy & Tommy Brown, Glenbuck Cherrypickers, ScottishLeague.net, 22 August 2013
- ^ a b c d Before Shankly: Sandy Brown, Glenbuck's first Scotland internationalist, Scottish Sport History, 2 September 2013
- ^ a b c d Hotspur Towers - Sandy Brown, India Spurs, 13 September 2017
- ^ Sandy Brown, 11v11.com
- ^ Collings, Timothy (1985). The Luton Town Story 1885-1985. Luton Town F.C. p. 197. ISBN 0-951067-90-7.
- ^ Joyce, Mike. "Sandy Brown". Since 1888. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele (17 October 2019). "Scotland - International Matches 1901-1910". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ Tommy Brown Foxes Talk
