Henry Frederick Brophy (22 October 1916 – 6 November 1996) was an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played for
Southampton
Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
in the years immediately before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. After the war, he emigrated to Australia where he coached and captained the
national football team, including acting as team manager for two games in 1954 and 1955.
Early career
Brophy was born in
Leicester, but moved to
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nor ...
as a child. He captained
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...
schoolboys to the English Schools Shield in 1931 (aged 14) and his maturity was soon spotted by
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
who signed him up as a trainee in 1933. He never appeared for Arsenal's first team and was sent out on loan, firstly to
Canterbury Waverley of the
Kent League and then to
Margate
Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook.
The town has been a significant m ...
(Arsenal's nursery team) for the 1935–36 season. He signed professional papers for Arsenal in May 1936, and was then sent out on loan again, this time to
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
. He broke a leg when playing in a reserve match for Brighton against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
(in a tackle with
Fred Briggs whom he was later to partner in Southampton's forward line). He returned to
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
but failed to break into the first team.
Southampton
Whilst with the "Gunners" his potential had been spotted by
Tom Parker and in May 1938, now the Saints manager, Parker signed him for
Southampton
Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
. Although Brophy was normally a
half back, he was drafted in as
centre forward
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
for the first three games of the
1938–39 season in the absence of
Reg Tomlinson. Brophy scored in each of the first three games of the season before injury sidelined him for two games. All three of the games ended as defeats, setting the tone for the rest of the season. He came back into the side, this time at
left half
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and scored again. After that flurry of goals, he only scored once more.
The outbreak of war then brought Brophy's playing career to a premature end. He initially joined the police before joining the
Merchant Navy and served on the hospital ship "''
St Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...
''" during the
Dunkirk evacuation
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the n ...
in 1940. During the war he guested for several clubs including
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
,
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...
and
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
and Clapton Orient.
Coaching in Australia
In 1949 he emigrated to
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and joined
Corinthian F.C.
Corinthian Football Club was an English amateur football club based in London between 1882 and 1939.
Above all, the club is credited with having popularised football around the world, having promoted sportsmanship and fair play, and having ch ...
in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. He graduated to coaching for
Australia and took charge of the team in 1954 and 1955.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brophy, Harry
1916 births
1996 deaths
Footballers from Leicester
Men's association football fullbacks
Men's association football defenders
English men's footballers
Arsenal F.C. players
Canterbury Waverley F.C. players
Margate F.C. players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Southampton F.C. players
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. wartime guest players
English football managers
English expatriate football managers
Australia men's national soccer team managers
Mauritius national football team managers
Fulham F.C. wartime guest players
Crystal Palace F.C. wartime guest players
Expatriate soccer managers in Australia
Expatriate football managers in Mauritius
English expatriate sportspeople in Mauritius
English expatriate sportspeople in Australia
Sydney FC Prague managers
Sydney United 58 FC managers
British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II
English emigrants to Australia