Jonathan Brown (Welsh footballer)
Encyclopedia
Jonathan David Brown is a Welsh
footballer and Wales under-21
international who plays for Southport
.
, Brown attended the Archbishop McGrath School as a youngster. Brown also competed in various sports including rugby
and athletics and was Welsh 100m champion at the 12–14 age group after taking part in the Welsh games.
Brown's father Steve was captain of the Wales youth rugby team between 1976–1977.
scout Gwyn James but was unable to sign for the Merseyside
club, due to a rule meaning youth players must sign with a team within one and a half hours of their home, so he recommended him to Cardiff City
. Having worked his way through the youth system at Cardiff, Brown made his first team debut against Welshpool Town
in the FAW Premier Cup
where he scored the only goal of the game with a free-kick to send the Bluebirds into the semi-final, becoming the first Bridgend
-born player to play for Cardiff since Billy Rees
. He made his league debut for Cardiff on 12 February 2008 against Coventry City
when he came off the bench in the closing minutes and made a second appearance later in the season, coming on as a substitute again during a 3–1 win over Blackpool
. At the end of the season he was rewarded with a one year deal at the club, his first professional contract. Brown was the latest in a long line of recent youth players to have broken into the first team with the Bluebirds such as Joe Ledley
, Chris Gunter
, Darcy Blake
and Aaron Ramsey
.
, setting up Jefferson Louis
to score Wrexham's first goal before being replaced after 88 minutes by Shaun Whalley
. He scored his first goal for the club in his very next game when he scored in the 90th minute to give Wrexham a 2–1 win over Kettering Town
. On Christmas Eve, Brown was involved in a road accident while travelling back to Wrexham. On his way back from South Wales, Brown's car overturned near Welshpool
and he was forced to break one of the vehicles windows in order to escape. Brown kept the incident a secret from Wrexham manager Dean Saunders
until after he had played against Barrow
on boxing day two days later.
Having been a first team regular during his initial loan spell, in early January it was confirmed that his loan deal had been extended by one month and at the end of the January transfer window the two clubs agreed for the loan deal to last until the end of the season. After the extended deal was agreed, manager Dean Saunders praised the impact Brown had at the side since arriving at the North Wales side. In his next game for the club, Brown scored his fourth goal of the season when he scored direct from a free-kick as Wrexham won 3–2 over Grays Athletic
. In total, Brown made 27 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring four times before returning to Cardiff, where he was released.
side Leyton Orient
, playing one half in their 5–4 pre-season win over Billericay Town
. He was not offered a permanent deal with the side and instead joined Welsh Football League Division One side Bryntirion Athletic
, making his debut in a 2–1 win over Afan Lido
on 22 August 2009. Brown remained at the club until November, making his final appearance in a 3–2 win over Goytre on 7 November.
side Central Coast Mariners
on a contract until the end of the 2009–10 season, with the option of a possible two-year deal. However, he was released at the end of the season without making an appearance for the first team.
, on 2 July 2011, ready for the 2011–12 season. He made his competitive club debut on 13 August 2011 on the first day of the 2011-12 season.
in 2007. He made his under-21 debut against Malta U21 on 5 February 2008, scoring his first goal for the under-21 side on 31 March 2009 in a 5–1 win over Luxembourg
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
footballer and Wales under-21
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
international who plays for Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
.
Early life
Born in BridgendBridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, Brown attended the Archbishop McGrath School as a youngster. Brown also competed in various sports including rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and athletics and was Welsh 100m champion at the 12–14 age group after taking part in the Welsh games.
Brown's father Steve was captain of the Wales youth rugby team between 1976–1977.
Cardiff City
Brown was originally spotted by LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
scout Gwyn James but was unable to sign for the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
club, due to a rule meaning youth players must sign with a team within one and a half hours of their home, so he recommended him to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
. Having worked his way through the youth system at Cardiff, Brown made his first team debut against Welshpool Town
Welshpool Town F.C.
Welshpool F.C. is a football team, based in Welshpool, playing in the Spar Mid Wales League.The club was founded as Welshpool Town F.C. in 1878 and plays at the Maes y Dre Recreation Ground, Welshpool, which accommodates 2000 spectators ....
in the FAW Premier Cup
FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup is a defunct Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008...
where he scored the only goal of the game with a free-kick to send the Bluebirds into the semi-final, becoming the first Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
-born player to play for Cardiff since Billy Rees
Billy Rees
William "Billy" Rees was a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international.-Career:Rees was born in Pwllcarn Terrace, Blaengarw. He had been working as a coal miner while playing amateur football for Caernarvon Rovers when he was spotted by Cardiff City manager Cyril Spiers...
. He made his league debut for Cardiff on 12 February 2008 against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
when he came off the bench in the closing minutes and made a second appearance later in the season, coming on as a substitute again during a 3–1 win over Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. At the end of the season he was rewarded with a one year deal at the club, his first professional contract. Brown was the latest in a long line of recent youth players to have broken into the first team with the Bluebirds such as Joe Ledley
Joe Ledley
Joseph Christopher Ledley is a Welsh footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League club Celtic and the Welsh national team as a central or left midfielder....
, Chris Gunter
Chris Gunter
Christopher Ross "Chris" Gunter is a Welsh footballer who plays for Nottingham Forest, and the Wales national team, as a defender. Though a Newport native, he moved to Cardiff as a child and later joined Cardiff City's youth system...
, Darcy Blake
Darcy Blake
Darcy James Blake is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Cardiff City in the Football League Championship. He is also a Welsh international, having made his debut in October 2010.-Cardiff City:...
and Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
.
Loan at Wrexham
Having not made an appearance for Cardiff during the 2008–09 season, Brown joined Wrexham on a two-month loan deal. He made his debut on 29 November in a 2–1 win over Stevenage BoroughStevenage Borough F.C.
Stevenage Football Club is an English football club based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The club currently participate in League One, the third tier of English football, having won promotion from League Two in the 2010–11 season...
, setting up Jefferson Louis
Jefferson Louis
Jefferson Lee Louis is a footballer who plays for Brackley Town. A forward, he has played in the Football League for Oxford United, Bristol Rovers and Mansfield Town, and is a Dominica international.-Club career:...
to score Wrexham's first goal before being replaced after 88 minutes by Shaun Whalley
Shaun Whalley
Shaun James Whalley is an English footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Football Conference club Southport. Born in Prescot, Merseyside, he played for Norwich City and Southport as a youth before making his Football League debut with Chester City in 2004.After leaving Chester, he...
. He scored his first goal for the club in his very next game when he scored in the 90th minute to give Wrexham a 2–1 win over Kettering Town
Kettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
. On Christmas Eve, Brown was involved in a road accident while travelling back to Wrexham. On his way back from South Wales, Brown's car overturned near Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
and he was forced to break one of the vehicles windows in order to escape. Brown kept the incident a secret from Wrexham manager Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
until after he had played against Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...
on boxing day two days later.
Having been a first team regular during his initial loan spell, in early January it was confirmed that his loan deal had been extended by one month and at the end of the January transfer window the two clubs agreed for the loan deal to last until the end of the season. After the extended deal was agreed, manager Dean Saunders praised the impact Brown had at the side since arriving at the North Wales side. In his next game for the club, Brown scored his fourth goal of the season when he scored direct from a free-kick as Wrexham won 3–2 over Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
. In total, Brown made 27 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring four times before returning to Cardiff, where he was released.
Bryntirion Athletic
Following his released, Brown spent time on trial at League OneFootball League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
, playing one half in their 5–4 pre-season win over Billericay Town
Billericay Town F.C.
Billericay Town Football Club are an English football club based in Billericay, Essex, who currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division....
. He was not offered a permanent deal with the side and instead joined Welsh Football League Division One side Bryntirion Athletic
Bryntirion Athletic F.C.
Bryntirion Athletic F.C. are a Welsh football team from the Bridgend suburb of Bryntirion. Their local rivals are Bridgend Town F.C...
, making his debut in a 2–1 win over Afan Lido
Afan Lido F.C.
Afan Lido F.C. is a football team based in Aberavon playing in the Welsh Premier League.-History:The club was founded in 1967, and they play at the Marston Stadium, Aberavon, which accommodates 4200 spectators .-Current squad:...
on 22 August 2009. Brown remained at the club until November, making his final appearance in a 3–2 win over Goytre on 7 November.
Central Coast Mariners
Having spent time on trial at the club, in December 2009 he joined Australian A-LeagueA-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
side Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
on a contract until the end of the 2009–10 season, with the option of a possible two-year deal. However, he was released at the end of the season without making an appearance for the first team.
Southport
Following a six-month spell at the Somerset club, Brown signed for SouthportSouthport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
, on 2 July 2011, ready for the 2011–12 season. He made his competitive club debut on 13 August 2011 on the first day of the 2011-12 season.
International career
Brown has been a regular at various youth levels for Wales and was part of the under-19 squad that took part in the Milk CupMilk Cup
The Milk Cup is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland, with matches taking place in the towns of Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock, Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballymena and...
in 2007. He made his under-21 debut against Malta U21 on 5 February 2008, scoring his first goal for the under-21 side on 31 March 2009 in a 5–1 win over Luxembourg
Luxembourg national under-21 football team
The Luxembourg national under-21 football team is the national representative under-21 football team of Luxembourg. Controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation , the team feeds into Luxembourg's full national team....
.
Club stats
As of 11 December 2009| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
2007–08 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Subtotal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Wrexham (loan) | 2008–09 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 4 |
| Bryntirion Athletic Bryntirion Athletic F.C. Bryntirion Athletic F.C. are a Welsh football team from the Bridgend suburb of Bryntirion. Their local rivals are Bridgend Town F.C... |
2009–10 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 5 | |
External links
- Jonathan Brown player profile at cardiffcityfc.co.uk (Southport stats only)