Bobby Brown

Barnet

Born in Streatham in south London, Brown grew up as a fan of Barnet because his father was a fan, regularly attending games at Underhill Stadium via the London Underground. At the age of 18, Brown joined his boyhood club as his father had local connections to the club and he was offered a contract by manager George Wheeler. On his arrival, club captain Alf D'Arcy described Brown as "A very gifted centre forward, lean and so quick but unusually with a sharp brain to go with it! He would take a row with a centre half in his stride and yet out-think his opponent, and he was incredibly fit too". In his first season at the club, he scored 41 times in all competitions to help the club win the Athenian League in the 1958–59 season and reach the final of the FA Amateur Cup, losing 3–2 to Crook Town with Brown scoring both goals for the Bees. However, his appearances were limited during the following season due to injury and Brown finished the season with 17 goals.

Football League

Brown remained with Barnet until September 1960, when he joined Fulham, remaining an amateur, working part-time at a cricket bat manufacturer owned by Stuart Surridge. He then moved to Watford, becoming a full-time professional for the first time in his career, and made 28 League appearances for them before transferring to Northampton Town. Brown remained with Northampton for three seasons and was part of the Cobblers team that reached the top division of English football in 1965–66…

England amateur

Brown was handed his debut for the England national amateur football team on 20 May 1959, alongside Barnet teammates Roy Sleap and Alf D'Arcy, scoring twice during a 3–1 victory over the Netherlands at Zuiderpark Stadion. He played in two further matches in the following week, a 3–1 defeat to Luxembourg, during which he scored again, and a 2–0 defeat to West Germany. Over the following two seasons, Brown was an integral part of the amateur side, rarely missing a match and scoring consistently for the side, including braces in matches against Scotland and France in 1961. He went on to appear in 14 matches for the side, scoring 12 times. Following his decision to turn professional with Watford at the start of the 1961–62 season, he became ineligible to represent the amateur side.

1960 Olympics

Having represented England at amateur level, his performances for Barnet attracted the attention of the manager of the Great Britain Olympic football team, Norman Creek, who had been alerted to Brown following his brace in the 1959 FA Amateur Cup final. While still an amateur, Brown was chosen in the Great Britain squad for the 1960 Summer Olympics, along with his Barnet teammate Roy Sleap. Brown scored in all three of teams group matches, including a brace in their opening game during a 3–2 defeat to Brazil, as Britain finished the group stage in third-place resulting in their elimination. After seeing Brown score against his Italy side during the…

Brown later worked as a Youth Development Officer and under 18’s Welsh team manager for the Welsh Football Association from 1974 to 1980, when he left to join Hull City F.C. as Chief Scout and Youth team Manager. In 1983, Bobby moved to Pembrokeshire and entered in to the hospitality trade. He retired in 2011 and still resides on a small holding in Pembrokeshire. In 2020, during lockdown, Bobby wrote his life story titled 'All he can do is score goals - The life and times of Bobby Brown'. This was published with a small print run in September 2021.

Barnet

Athenian League Winner: 1958–59 FA Amateur Cup Finalist: 1958–59

Cardiff City

Welsh Cup Winner: 1967