Brown George Image 9 Huddersfield Town 1924

Description

West Mickley, Northumberland born centre forward George “Bomber” Brown began his career with Mickley Colliery of the Northern Alliance in 1920, from where he joined First Division Huddersfield Town in May 1921. Making his Football League debut at West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Eve, he scored twice in a 3-2 defeat and scored in each of his next two matches. Although the goals took a while to arrive he scored more than 20 goals a season for six successive seasons from 1924-25 to 1929-30, winning the League Championship three times in a row under Herbert Chapman with Huddersfield from 1924 to 1926.

In those League title winning campaigns he scored hat-tricks against Aston Villa and at Preston North End in the 1924-25 campaign, finishing only behind Charlie Wilson as the club’s leading goalscorer, but he led the scoring charts as they won the hat-trick of titles in 1925-26 with 35 goals, missing only one match, with hat-tricks at Everton and against Manchester City. He was then a losing finalist in the 1928 FA Cup, despite scoring 8 goals in the Cup run, as they lost the Final 3-1 to Blackburn Rovers at Wembley. In 1926-27 he scored hat-tricks against Leicester City and Leeds United, and in 1927-28 he equalled his previous 35 goal total for the campaign with 4 goals against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup quarter final and trebles against Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham United. Both seasons Huddersfield Town finished runners up in the League Championship.

He scored on his England international debut in a 3-3 draw against Wales at Anfield in October 1926 and scored 5 goals for his country in 9 England appearances over the next six years. He also represented The Football League on 3 occasions.

He was eventually sold to Aston Villa in August 1929 for £5,000 after 159 goals in 229 games for The Terriers. He is still the record goal scorer for Huddersfield Town, and in his first season at Villa he netted 36 times, with hat-tricks against Arsenal, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. He then fired Aston Villa to another runners up spot in the League Championship in 1932-33 with 35 goals during the campaign, with 4 goals against Bolton Wanderers in September 1932 and 4 goals at Blackburn Rovers in April 1933.

During five years at Aston Villa he scored 89 goals in 126 appearances, twice finishing runners up in the League Championship, before joining Second Division Burnley for £1,400 in October 1934, where in his first season he struck 24 goals and was the club’s leading goalscorer, and also played in the 1935 FA Cup semi final where Burnley were beaten by eventual winners Sheffield Wednesday at Villa Park.

He returned to the First Division with Leeds United in September 1935 for £3,100 after 27 goals in 41 Clarets appearances, once again netting 20 goals in his first season at Leeds, totalling 21 goals in 41 appearances at Elland Road before he joined Darlington as player-manager in October 1936 until his resignation in October 1938. He made 50 appearances for The Quakers, scoring 13 goals, before retiring from professional football.

NB in the photograph he stands on the right with Aston Villa team mate Jimmy Gibson.