Joe Brough

Joseph Brough (9 November 1886 – 5 October 1968) was an English footballer. He was also an accomplished cycler and sprinter.

Able to play at half-back or as a forward, he began his professional career with Burslem Port Vale in February 1907. He transferred to Stoke later in the year before finding himself at Tottenham Hotspur. Failing to make an impression in London, he returned to Port Vale in 1909 and scored a club record 43 goals in the 1909–10 season. This won him a move to Liverpool in August 1910, though after falling from the first-team picture, he moved on to Bristol City in January 1912. He again returned to Port Vale in May 1913 before he saw action in World War I in 1917. He retired from professional football in 1922, having featured in 209 competitive games for Port Vale.

Career Brough played for Smallthorne before he joined Burslem Port Vale as an amateur in the autumn of 1906, signing professional forms in February 1907. He scored his first Second Division goal on 13 April 1907, in a 2–1 win over Hull City at the Athletic Ground.

Brough returned to Port Vale in 1909 in a centre-forward capacity and scored a club record of 43 league and cup goals in the 1909–10 season, helping the club to the Staffordshire Junior Cup title in the process. He moved on from playing reserve team football at Anfield, and signed with Second Division side Bristol City in January 1912.

Personal life Brough was a sprinter and cyclist. He died 5 October 1968 at the age of 81.

Career statistics