Donovan Browning
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Donovan Browning
| image =
| fullname = Donovan Albert Browning
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|5|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ashley, Hampshire, England
| death_date = {{death year and age|1997|1916}}
| death_place = Dorset, England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
| position = Right-back
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = New Milton
| years1 = 1935–1939
| clubs1 = Southampton
| caps1 = 26
| goals1 = 0
}}
Donovan Albert Browning (9 May 1916 – 1997) was an English professional footballer who played at right-back in the Football League for Southampton in the 1930s.{{cite book |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |last=Joyce|first=Michael|year=2004|publisher=Tony Brown|location=Nottingham|isbn=1-899468-67-6|page=40}}
Football career
Browning was born into a farming family at Ashley, near New Milton and represented New Forest Schools before joining New Milton of the Hampshire League in 1934.{{cite book| title=The Alphabet of the Saints |last= Holley|first= Duncan |author2=Chalk, Gary| publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing |year=1992|isbn=0-9514862-3-3|pages=51–52}}
In May 1935, Browning moved across the New Forest to join Southampton of the Football League Second Division. He spent his first year at The Dell in the reserves and his first-team debut came on 28 December 1936, when he replaced Charlie Sillett at right-back, with Sillett moving to the left in the absence of Arthur Roberts for the match against Coventry City, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Although Browning lost his place for the next match, he was recalled in February and played most of the remaining matches until the end of the season.{{cite book |title=Saints – A complete record|last= Chalk|first= Gary|author2=Holley, Duncan | publisher= Breedon Books|year=1987|isbn= 0-907969-22-4|page=97}}
He started the next season{{cite book |title=Saints – A complete record|page=99}} as first-choice right-back before a serious knee injury in early October put him out of the game for several months. On his return in February, he had lost his consistency and only played another four matches before being transfer-listed for a fee of £500 in May 1938. No other club came in for him, so he remained at The Dell for another year, making only six reserve-team appearances before he was released in May 1939.
Later career
Browning was also a talented cricketer and was on the ground-staff at Hampshire County Cricket Club's County Ground.
He later became a farmer in Dorset with 5,000 acres and was still a season ticket holder at the Dell in 1992.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.11v11.com/players/donovan-browning-43922/ Career details on www.11v11.com]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, Donovan}}
Category:People from New Milton
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Southampton F.C. players
Category:New Milton Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:20th-century English farmers