Playing Career
Brown was playing for local Dagenham side Neville United when he signed professional for West Ham United on October 16, 1951. He quickly made his way into the reserve side, but first team football was much harder to come by, his debut eventually coming in February 1953 against Rotherham United as a replacement for Malcolm Allison. His first five years as a professional saw him only make occasional appearances for the Hammers, although national service between 1952 and 1954 did not help.
He started the 1957–58 season as first-choice in the centre of the West Ham defence, and remained there, missing only one game as West Ham won the Second Division title. On November 18, 1959, Brown made his only appearance for England, a 2–1 victory over Northern Ireland at Wembley. He was a member of the 1964 FA Cup winning side, and the following year was back at Wembley as part of the European Cup Winners' Cup winning side, playing alongside Bobby Moore.
In May 1967, after receiving a testimonial from West Ham, he followed his friend John Bond to Torquay United for a fee of £4000. He had played 386 league games and scored 4 goals. He played 42 league games for Torquay, scoring once, before moving to Southern League Hereford United, then managed by Welsh legend John Charles, in May 1969 for one final season as a player.
Read more about this topic: Ken Brown (footballer)
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