| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Dewar Brown | ||
| Date of birth | 24 March 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Grangemouth, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Left-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1957–1963 | Partick Thistle | 105 | (6) |
| 1963–1971 | Everton | 209 | (9) |
| 1971–1972 | Shrewsbury | 21 | (0) |
| 1972–1973 | Southport | 19 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1963 | Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Alex 'Sandy' Brown was born on 24 March 1939 in Grangemouth, Scotland. He was best known as an Everton player where he played from 1963 until 1971.
The Scottish utility man was signed from Partick Thistle for £38,000 in September 1963. Brown had represented the Scottish League earlier that month.[1] The athletic hard man played in several positions. Harry Catterick saw his ability to read the game and played him in front of the back four when it was needed. Against West Ham he was deployed to intercept through balls toward Hurst and Peters.
He was most effective as an overlapping full-back but also played as an emergency attacker and scored against Real Zaragoza in a European game during the 1966-67 season. In fact he played in every position during his Everton career, including goalkeeper against Newcastle United, after Gordon West was sent off. He played four games on Everton's way to the 1966 FA Cup Final but didn't play at Wembley and missed out on a winner's medal. He did achieve silverware though, picking up a League Champions medal for the 1969-70 season with Everton.
Arguably his most memorable moment was an own goal scored during the Merseyside Derby. Many pundits including Saint and Greavsie celebrated the goal in later years, with Danny Baker referring to it is "the own goal by which all other own goals are surely measured" in his video 'Own Goals and Gaffs'.[2]
In total he played 251 games in all competitions for Everton, scoring 11 goals.[3] He was most famous for scoring one of the most amazing own goals in a Merseyside Derby (against Liverpool).
After leaving Everton in May 71 he made a further 21 appearances for Shrewsbury. He moved again the next season to Southport and played 19 games during the 1972-73 season.