John Thomas Brewis (21 April 1907 – 5 April 1975) was an English

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 lea ...

who played as an

inside-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bei ...

in the 1930s, spending most of his career with

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Football career

Early career

Brewis was born in

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne, hence its name. It is east-northeast of Newcastle up ...

and played his early football with various

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

clubs, including West Stanley (in the

North Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although ...

, from where he joined Newark Town of the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

in 1929. After a year at Newark, now aged 23, Brewis moved into

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

when he was signed by

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...

of the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

in July 1930. He spent two seasons at York, mostly used as cover for Tom Fenoughty, making 26 league and two FA Cup appearances.

Southampton

In March 1932, Brewis was signed for

of the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

by recently appointed manager

George Kay George Kay may refer to: * George Kay (footballer), English footballer and manager * George Kay (minister), Scottish minister * George Kay (writer), English screenwriter * George Frederick Kay, American geologist See also * George Kaye (disam ...

as cover for

Bill Fraser William Simpson Fraser (5 June 1908 – 9 September 1987) was a Scottish actor who appeared on stage, screen and television for many years. In 1986 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his stage role in the play '' ...

and Arthur Wilson. Brewis made his debut on 19 March 1932, replacing

Charlie Sillett Charles Thomas Sillett (29 October 1906 – 27 February 1945) was an English professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, full back for Southampton F.C., Southampton in the 1930s. He wa ...

who had been drafted in at

inside-left In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

whilst Wilson was injured, before losing his place on Wilson's return for the following match, although Brewis made a further five appearances in the 1931–32 season. During the summer of 1932, the Saints' worsening financial position resulted in the sales of both Fraser (to

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

) and Wilson (to

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

) leaving Brewis as the only recognised inside-right, with Herbert Coates being recalled at inside-left. Despite the sales in the summer, the Saints' side had a settled look in 1932–33, with ten players making 30 or more appearances. Brewis and Coates became established as the inside-forwards, with

Ted Drake Edward Joseph Drake (16 August 1912 – 30 May 1995) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well ...

in the centre, and Dick Neal and Johnny Arnold on the wings. Brewis scored ten goals from 31 League appearances, including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 4–1 victory over

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

on 3 September 1932. Described as "''not a tall man''", Brewis "''had the knack of hanging in the air to head improbable goals''". Brewis retained his place for the next two seasons, although he missed a substantial part of the 1934–35 season, when he was replaced by Fred Tully. For the following season, Tully became the settled No.8, and Brewis played less than half the matches, mostly as a half-back. Although Brewis remained at The Dell for a further year, he only appeared three timers in 1936–37, before he was released in the 1937 close season. Brewis then spent two seasons on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

with

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

before joining the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1939.

Later career

After the war, Brewis became a

publican The (Latin ; Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'') were public contractors in the Roman Republic and Empire. In their official capacity, they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw pub ...

, running the Durham Hotel in

Northam, Southampton Northam is a suburb of Southampton in Hampshire. On the West bank of the River Itchen, it shares borders with St Mary's, Bitterne and Bevois Valley. Beside the border with St Mary's is the Chapel area, which has been home to some recent apar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewis, Tom 1907 births 1975 deaths Footballers from Tynemouth English men's footballers English Football League players West Stanley F.C. players York City F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Newark Town F.C. players Newport (IOW) F.C. players Men's association football inside forwards Royal Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century English sportsmen