| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roy Henry Brown[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1923-12-20)20 December 1923[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-on-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | November 1989 (aged 65)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Bushey, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1939–1946 | Stoke City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1946–1953 | Stoke City | 70 | (14) |
| 1953–1958 | Watford | 142 | (40) |
| 1958–19xx | Chelmsford City | ||
| Total | 212 | (54) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roy Henry Brown (20 December 1923 – November 1989) was an English professionalfootballer who played as both acentre half and astriker. Brown was the first black player in the history of his first team,Stoke City.[3] Brown also played forWatford, making a total of 212 appearances inthe Football League for both clubs.[4]
Brown was born inStoke-on-Trent and was the son of a Nigerian father, and English mother.[1] He joinedStoke City in 1939 and played for the club duringWorld War II whilst also serving with the army.[1]The Football League resumed in1946–47 with Brown making history on 28 September 1946 playing in Stoke's 3–1 win overPreston North End he became the club's first black player and he ended the season with four appearances.[1] He was used a back-up utility player by managerBob McGrory eventually playing regularly in1950–51 where he played in 29 matches.[1] He scored eight goals in 16 matches during the1952–53 campaign, the second highest as Stoke suffered relegation from theFirst Division.[1]
Brown now seeking regular first team football, left theVictoria Ground in the summer of 1953 forThird Division South sideWatford. He spent the first season with the "Hornets" as a centre forward and he scored 21 goals as Watford finished in 4th position. He remained atVicarage Road for four more seasons before ending his career with non-leagueChelmsford City.
Source:[5]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Stoke City | 1946–47 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1947–48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1948–49 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1949–50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1950–51 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 4 | ||
| 1951–52 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | ||
| 1952–53 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Total | 70 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 74 | 14 | ||
| Watford | 1953–54 | Third Division South | 36 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 21 |
| 1954–55 | 31 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 13 | ||
| 1955–56 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 1956–57 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 1957–58 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 142 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 147 | 41 | ||
| Career Total | 212 | 54 | 9 | 1 | 221 | 55 | ||