| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Ernest Browning | ||
| Date of birth | (1888-06-24)24 June 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Kettering, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 February 1949(1949-02-16) (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Bream, Gloucestershire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | 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 | |||
Robert Ernest Browning (24 June 1888 – 16 February 1949)[1] was an English professionalfootballer who played as aninside-forward forQueens Park Rangers andSouthampton in theSouthern League in the 1910s. He was nicknamed "Lightning".[2]
Browning was born inKettering and played his early football for his home-town club before joiningQueens Park Rangers in the 1910close 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 inthe 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 againstWatford on 22 January 1912. However, he would form part of the Q.P.R. team which won theSouthern League during1911–12. He did not play in Ranger's subsequentFA Charity Shield loss againstBlackburn 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 theinside-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 atWest 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 ofBill Sanders, a soldier on loan from the Royal Artillery atPortsmouth.[8]
In the summer of 1913, Browning was released and returned to West London to joinBrentford,[3] for whom he failed to make an appearance.[9]
During theFirst World War, Browning served in theMiddlesex Regiment and later theAgricultural Labour Corps.[2] He then settled in theForest of Dean in Gloucestershire, where he worked as a coal-miner, playing as a permit player for Bream Amateurs.[1]