Marcus Browning

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Marcus Browning

| image = Marcus Browning.jpg

| caption = Browning playing for Bath City in 2010

| fullname = Marcus Trevor Browning

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|4|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bristol, England

| height =

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1989–1997

| years2 = 1989

| years3 = 1990

| years4 = 1991

| years5 = 1992

| years6 = 1997–1999

| years7 = 1998

| years8 = 1999–2002

| years9 = 2002–2007

| years10 = 2007–2009

| years11 = 2009–2010

| years12 = 2010

| clubs1 = Bristol Rovers

| clubs2 = → Gloucester City (loan)

| clubs3 = → Weymouth (loan)

| clubs4 = → Gloucester City (loan)

| clubs5 = → Hereford United (loan)

| clubs6 = Huddersfield Town

| clubs7 = → Gillingham (loan)

| clubs8 = Gillingham

| clubs9 = AFC Bournemouth

| clubs10 = Weymouth

| clubs11 = Bath City

| clubs12 = Poole Town

| caps1 = 174

| caps2 =

| caps3 =

| caps4 =

| caps5 = 7

| caps6 = 33

| caps7 = 1

| caps8 = 77

| caps9 = 188

| caps10 = 21

| caps11 =

| caps12 =

| goals1 = 13

| goals2 =

| goals3 =

| goals4 =

| goals5 = 5

| goals6 = 0

| goals7 = 0

| goals8 = 3

| goals9 = 3

| goals10 = 0

| goals11 =

| goals12 =

| nationalyears1 = 1996–1997

| nationalteam1 = Wales

| nationalcaps1 = 5

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Marcus Trevor Browning (born 22 April 1971) is a football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made five appearances for the Wales national team.

Club career

Browning was born in Bristol and began his career at Bristol Rovers as a striker but was converted to a defensive midfielder by his manager Malcolm Allison.{{Cite news |last=Ley |first=John |date=4 October 1996 |title=Browning untroubled by thought of facing Dutch |pages=44 |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/752037400/?terms=wales%20marcus%20browning&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} He made over 200 appearances in all competitions for the club before joining Huddersfield Town for £500,000 in February 1997 on a three-and-a-half-year contract.{{Cite news |last=Booth |first=Melvyn |date=22 February 1997 |title=Browning buy good news for old teammate |pages=43 |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/895438071/?terms=huddersfield%20marcus%20browning&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Browning then spent three years at Gillingham, whom he joined for £200,000 in March 1999 following a brief loan spell with the club after falling out of favour at Huddersfield Town under manager Peter Jackson.{{Cite news |last=Booth |first=Melvyn |date=17 November 1998 |title=Browning makes Gillingham move |pages=16 |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/849359301/?terms=gillingham%20marcus%20browning&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Thomson |first=Doug |date=26 March 1999 |title=Browning goes in £200,000 rush job |pages=24 |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/850010982/?terms=gillingham%20marcus%20browning&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} During his time with the Kent side he featured in their most successful ever FA Cup run as they made the quarter-finals before losing to Chelsea 5–0,{{Cite web|title=BBC News {{!}} FA CUP {{!}} Chelsea crush Gills|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/fa_cup/649870.stm|access-date=17 June 2020|website=news.bbc.co.uk}} as well as their promotion via the play-offs to the second tier of English football for the first time in their history.{{Cite web|title=PLAY-OFF FINAL 2000: SIXTEEN YEARS ON|url=https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2016/may/play-off-final-2000-sixteen-years-on/|access-date=17 June 2020|website=www.gillinghamfootballclub.com|language=en-gb}}

He then joined AFC Bournemouth on a free transfer in 2002. Within a few months of his Bournemouth career he had to play in goal twice when on both occasions goalkeeper Chris Tardif had to go off injured. The first such occasion was a League Cup tie against Brentford which they went on to lose on penalties,{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2239117.stm

|title=Brentford edge out Cherries

|publisher=BBC

|date=9 September 2002

|accessdate=24 April 2017}} and the second was a league match against Hull City which finished 0–0.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/2575611.stm

|title=Bournemouth 0-0 Hull|publisher=BBC

|date=21 December 2002

|accessdate=24 April 2017}}{{cite news

|url=http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14800558.AFC_Bournemouth_feature__No_one_else_fancied_it_so_I_just_put_the_gloves_on_and_went_in/

|title=AFC Bournemouth feature: No one else fancied it so I just put the gloves on and went in

|publisher=bournemouthecho.co.uk

|date=14 October 2016

|accessdate=24 April 2017}} Browning played the full 90 minutes as Bournemouth defeated Lincoln City 5–2 in the 2003 Football League Third Division play-off final.{{Cite news|date=24 May 2003|title=Bournemouth win seals promotion|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/3051043.stm|access-date=17 June 2020}} While still with Bournemouth Browning explored the possibility of becoming a professional referee after his playing career, making his debut as an official in a Bournemouth Sunday League Division Seven fixture in January 2006 and expressing a desire to one day officiate in the Premier League.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Martin |date=21 January 2006 |title=Pastures new |pages=146 |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/753254498/?terms=%22marcus%20browning%22&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web |last=James |first=Stuart |date=14 February 2006 |title=Midfielder likes life in the black |url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/feb/14/newsstory.sport2 |access-date=4 January 2023 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} He was released by Bournemouth in May 2007.

International career

Browning made five appearances for the Wales national team, for whom he qualified via a Tredegar-born grandmother. He made his debut as a 57th minute substitute in a 3–0 away friendly loss to Italy in January 1996{{Cite news |last=Linton |first=Martin |date=25 January 1996 |title=Wales are sunk in the rain |pages=26 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/260856750/?terms=wales%20italy%20browning&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} and would go on to feature in three games of Wales' ill-fated qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup, including two victories over San Marino and a home defeat to the Netherlands.{{Cite news |last=Ley |first=John |date=3 June 1996 |title=Wales secure emphatic victory |pages=33 |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/752024185/?terms=wales%20browning%20san%20marino&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Rudd |first=Alyson |date=1 September 1996 |title=Gould watches the tally reach heady heights |pages=86 |work=The Sunday Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/752038950/?terms=wales%20browning%20san%20marino&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Glen |date=7 October 1996 |title=Welsh deficiencies cruelly exposed |pages=62 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/719412259/?terms=wales%20browning%20san%20marino&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} His last appearance came in a 1–0 friendly victory over Scotland in Kilmarnock in May 1997.{{Cite news |last=Ley |first=John |date=28 May 1997 |title=Hartson upsets Scotland plans |pages=36 |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/752111316/?terms=wales%20browning%20kilmarnock&match=1 |access-date=4 January 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Coaching career

In July 2007, Browning joined up with former Bournemouth teammate Jason Tindall as part of the backroom staff at then Conference National team Weymouth.{{Cite web|title=Coaching chance moved Marcus|url=https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/1599917.coaching-chance-moved-marcus/|access-date=17 June 2020|website=Dorset Echo|language=en}} Over two seasons at Weymouth, he played 21 games.

In June 2009, it was agreed in principle that Weymouth would come to a settlement over paying out the year Browning had left on his current contract as new Weymouth manager Matty Hale had brought in his own backroom staff. After leaving Weymouth, he signed for Bath City, making his debut in a 4–3 defeat to Chelmsford City.{{Cite web |url=http://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/sport/4540610.Chelmsford_City_4_Bath_City_3/ |title=Chelmsford City 4-3 Bath City |publisher=Chelmsford Weekly News |date=11 August 2009 |accessdate=14 August 2009}}

On 5 November 2009, it was confirmed that Browning had returned to Dean Court as a youth coach. Browning, who made more than 200 appearances for the club between 2002 and 2007, works with the U18s on a part-time basis, his appointment funded with the help of Brockenhurst College, while continuing playing, initially with Bath City in the Conference South, and from December 2010 with Poole Town.{{Cite web|title=Former Cherries star Browning joins Poole Town|url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/8679494.former-cherries-star-browning-joins-poole-town/|access-date=17 June 2020|website=Bournemouth Echo|language=en}} He later took on the role of U18s coach at Poole Town.{{Cite web|title=FA Youth Cup: Poole Town fortunate to have Browning|url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/14902715.fa-youth-cup-poole-town-fortunate-to-have-browning/|access-date=17 June 2020|website=Bournemouth Echo|language=en}}

Honours

Gillingham

Football League Second Division play-offs: 2000

AFC Bournemouth

Football League Third Division play-offs: 2003

Bath City

Conference South play-offs: 2010

References

{{cite book | author=Roger Triggs | title=The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club| publisher=Tempus Publishing Ltd | year=2001| isbn=0-7524-2243-X}}