Harry Brophy

Henry Frederick Brophy (22 October 1916 – 6 November 1996) was an English professional footballer who played for Southampton in the years immediately before World War II. 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 as a child. He captained Islington schoolboys to the English Schools Shield in 1931 (aged 14) and his maturity was soon spotted by Arsenal 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 (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. He broke a leg when playing in a reserve match for Brighton against Reading (in a tackle with Fred Briggs whom he was later to partner in Southampton's forward line). He returned to Highbury but failed to break into the first team.

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" during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. During the war he guested for several clubs, including Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Crystal Palace and Clapton Orient. and 1955.