Johnny Brooks

Club career

Reading Brooks' career began as a youth at Coley Old Boys, Mount Pleasant, Castle Street Institute and he also represented Reading & Berkshire schoolboys. Brooks departed Elm Park in February 1953 and was posthumously inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2018.

Tottenham Hotspur

After turning down moves to Newcastle United, Arsenal and West Ham United, He later recalled that Tottenham had always been in his blood, after watching the 1949–50 Second Division and 1950–51 First Division championship triumphs on the terraces at White Hart Lane.

By the 1954–55 season, Brooks had broken through into the first team and made 31 appearances, scoring seven goals. His performances also won him England recognition.

Brentford Brooks signed for Chelsea's West London neighbours Brentford in September 1961 in a £5,000 deal. In the Fourth Division, Brooks was the playmaker and inspired Brentford to the title, making 39 appearances, scoring 22 goals and winning the first club silverware of his career. in which he scored four goals in six games before leaving the club. Looking back in 2005, Brooks revealed "in many ways the two years I spent at Brentford were my happiest in the game". He made just seven appearances for the club before departing at the end of the 1963–64 season,

Toronto City Brooks spurned the interest of Lincoln City and Aldershot and travelled to Canada in May 1964, Among his teammates at the club were Tony Book, Ted Purdon, Norman Sykes and player-manager Malcolm Allison. In addition to being part of two Hitchin Centenary Cup-winning squads, Brooks was part of the 1966–67 squad that achieved promotion from the First Division to the Premier Division.

Cleveland Stokers Brooks returned to North America to play in the North American Soccer League with Cleveland Stokers in 1968. He made 22 appearances and scored one goal in his spell. Brooks later coached the teams at Moordown Youth and served as president of Bournemouth. Brooks' son Shaun was also a professional footballer and played for Leyton Orient, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, was capped by England at schoolboy and youth level and managed Dorchester Town. It was reported in 2014 that Brooks was suffering with vascular dementia and he died on 7 June 2016.

Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

1952–53 0 35 9 1965–66 1 46 13 1966–67 0 57 9 1967–68 1 42 12

146 36 12 3 8 2 14 1 180 42 Cleveland Stokers 1968