|
Eric
Brook |
Manchester City
FC
18 appearances, 10 goals
P 18 W 12 D 1 L 5 F
47:
A 20
69% successful
1929-39
captain: none
minutes played: 1620 |
 |
Profile |
Full name |
Eric Fred Brook |
Born |
27 November 1907
at 7 Dolcliffe Road, Dolcliffe Common, Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire [registered in
Doncaster, March 1907]. Attended Dolcliffe Road School |
Census Notes |
According to the 1911 census,
Eric Fred is the oldest of two children, the other is Florence, to Fred
and Kate (née Ward) and live at 7 Dolcliffe Road in Mexborough. His father is a coal
hewer. Eric's parent's would go on to have three more children,
Walter, Eva and Donald. |
According to the 1939 register, Eric F. is a professional footballer
married to Ivy and they live at 20 Brayton Avenue in the Didsbury area of
Manchester. |
Married |
to Ivy
Whitehead (b.2 April 1909)
[registered in Rotherham, June 1926]. |
Died |
29 March 1965,
aged
57 years 122 days
[registered as Eric F., in Manchester, June 1965]. |
Height/Weight |
5'
6½", 11st. 0lbs [1928].
5'
7¾", 11st.
4lbs [1929].
5'
6¾", 11st.
6lbs [1933]. |
Source |
Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990], FindMyPast.com and
his niece, Gillian Catchpole. |
Club Career |
Club(s) |
Started
his career with Mexborough Schools and Oxford Road YMCA. Played for local
teams Swinton Prims FC, Mexborough Thursday FC, Dearne Valley Old Boys FC and Wath
Athletic FC. Barnsley FC paid £200 to take Brook in February 1926.
He impressed in his 78 league appearances and eighteen goals, because
on transfer deadline day, 16 March 1928, Manchester City FC parted with a £4000
transfer fee to get Brook, two days after they had already signed his
teammate, Fred
Tilson. He remained at City,
making 453 league appearances, scoring 158 goals, he announced his
retirement on 29 October 1940, after failing to recover sufficiently from
a recent car crash. |
Club honours |
FA Cup
runners-up 1932-33, winners 1933-34; Football
League Champions 1936-37; |
Individual honours |
Football
League (seven appearances) |
Distinctions |
None |
Source |
Douglas Lammings' An English
Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]. |
England Career |
Player number |
One of two who became the 545th
players (546) to appear for England. |
Position(s) |
Outside-left |
First match |
No. 168,
19 October 1929, Ireland
0 England
3,
a British Championship match at Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Belfast, aged 21 years
326 days. |
Last match |
No. 213, 17
November 1937,
England 2
Wales
1, a British Championship match at
Ayresome Park, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough,
aged 29 years 355 days. |
Major tournaments |
British
Championships 1929-30, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38; |
Team honours |
British
Championships winners 1929-30, 1937-38, shared 1934-35; |
Individual honours |
None |
Distinctions |
None |
England
Resilience |
"Eric Brook, the Manchester City and England
outside-left, who underwent an operation on Saturday [at a private nursing
home] for peritonitis, was stated to-day to have passed a comfortable
night and to be in a satisfactory condition." -
Monday, 29 November 1937, various newspapers "Eric
Brook leaves the nursing home to-day, a fortnight after his entrance."
- Saturday, 11 December 1937, The Daily Mail "MANCHESTER
CITY 3 MILLWALL 1 - ERIC BROOK AS GOOD AS EVER "Manchester City made no
mistake in their [FA Cup third round] replay with Millwall, and defeated
the club that dismissed them from the competition in the sixth round last
year. Eric Brook came into the side for the first time since he underwent
an operation for appendicitis in November, and played a big part in City's
success. His corner kick paved the way for the opening goal, scored by
Heale, who was making his first appearance of the season, and he himself
obtained the second. City were much the superior side in the opening half,
when all the scoring occurred and only grand work by Yuill, in the
Millwall goal, kept down the tally against him. Heale put the City ahead
in three minutes. Burditt equalised and Brook and Herd gave Manchester a
two goals' advantage again. Millwall improved following the interval, but
though Walsh, Burditt, Brolly and Mangall all went close they could not
overcome a stubborn defence." - Thursday, 13
January 1938, The Daily Independent ERIC BROOK BACK IN
TRAINING "Eric
Brook, who only a month ago was on the verge of death, surprised everybody
at Maine Road yesterday when he turned up at the ground and recommenced
training. It is just a month since he underwent an operation for acure
appendicitis, and it then appeared that even if he recovered his career
with the City might be ended. Yesterday, however, he returned with all his
old enthusiasm, and expects to be playing within a month. Dr. F. C.
Scotson, who first examined Brook and diagnosed appendicitis, told the
Daily Independent last night that Brook would undoubtedly have been
dead inside two days if the operation had not been performed so quickly.
'It was touch and go,' he said, 'and it was only the skill with which the
operation was performed and Brook's splendid constitution that made such a
remarkably quick recovery possible, The wound has healed completely and he
is quite fir to resume light training. He may be fit to play in about a
fortnight.' After he had completed his training, however, the player
himself said that he expected to be all right again in about a month's
time. 'I feel a little bit stiff, but otherwise I am fine.' " -
Thursday, 30 December 1937, Daily
Independent
"CAR CRASH GAVE SCOT ENGLISH CAP "It was a real happy party at
Newcastle on Saturday. England came out 'tops,' but nobody same to care
which way the game went. The object of the 'national was to give the Red
Cross Fund a hoist and as the authorities were not too strict on the
15,000 control the result was highly satisfactory. Crowd was estimated at
30,000. Game will go down to history as the match in which a Scot was
'capped' for England. The Manchester City men, Ned Barkas and Eric Brook
were caught in a spot of bother on their way to Newcastle, failed to put
in an appearance, and deputies were chosen from the home team's staff.
Pearson, who went in for Brook on the left, is a former Murrayfield
amateur. He pulled his weight under what must have been trying
circumstances. Mystery of the missing
players was solved yesterday. Brook and Barkas were injured in a car
crash, and returned to their Manchester homes after spending the night at
Ripon Hospital. It appears they set out by car for Newcastle at
6 a.m., and were involved in a collision with another car at Dishforth,
Yorkshire. They suffered shock, cuts, and bruises. Their driver escaped
injury, and was allowed home." - Monday, 4 December 1939, The
Courier & Advertiser "ERIC BROOK PROGRESSING "Although
Eric Brook, the Manchester City and England international footballer, has
been ordered to rest as a result of injuries he received in a recent car
crash, officials of his club discount the suggestion that he will not play
again this eason. Mr. W. Wild, City's secretary-manager, said to-day:
'Brook is making good progress at home. All he needs is rest and quiet,
and the doctors believe he will make a complete recovery.' "
- Thursday, 29 December 1939, The Manchester Evening News.
"FOOTBALLERS ON WAY TO MATCH "A civil action arising out of a
motor-car collision, in which two-footballers were injured while
travelling to a match, was heard by Mr. Justice Charles at the Assizes in
Leeds, yesterday. Plaintiff was Mr. Alexander Butkus, taxi-cab proprietor,
of Beckett Street, Leeds, who unsuccessfully sued Mr. Robert Weightman
Jackson, farmer, of Barker's Farm, Dishforth, for damages for personal
injuries. A collision between motor-cars driven by the parties occurred
near Dishforth, on the Great North Road, about 11 a.m. on Saturday,
December 2, last year. Mr. Butkus was driving Mr. Eric Brook and Mr. Sam
Barkas, who were to play for Manchester City Football Club at Newcastle.
Mr. Barkas formerly played for Bradford City. Both footballers were
injured, but were not parties in yesterday's action. Mr. Butkas's injuries
included concussion, fractured left second rib and face bruises. In
cross-examination, Mr. Butkus was asked questions which recalled the
recent conviction and hanging of Vincent Ostler and William Appleby, of
Hawksworth, for the shooting of a policeman in County Durham. Mr.
Butkus denied that he received stolen goods from the two men. He agreed
that he gave evidence that one of the two men showed him a revolver on a
certain occassion. That was the only connection he had with the two men,
he said. Mr. Butkus said he was driving at 45 to 50 m.p.h. when his car
and Mr. Jackson's collided. His Lordship, giving judgement, said that if
Mr. Butkus had been keeping a proper look-out he would have seen Mr.
Jackson's car coming on to the main rood soon enough to have avoided a
collision. The two footballers had missed their train, and Mr. Butkus was
driving them to their match. He was driving very much too fast, and much
faster than he said he drove. The collision was entirely his fault, and
there must be judgement for Mr. Jackson, with costs. -
Tuesday, 23 July 1940, The Yorkshire Post & Leeds Mercury. |
Beyond England |
Following his enforced retirement
through the war, Eric settled in Manchester working latterly as a crane
driver. -
An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who.
Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.48. |
Eric Brook - Career Statistics |
Squads |
Apps |
comp. apps |
Mins. |
Goals |
goals ave.min |
comp. goals |
Pens |
Capt. |
Disc. |
21 |
18 |
12 |
1620 |
10 |
162
min |
6 |
1
 |
none |
none |
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors. |
Eric Brook
- Match Record - All Matches |
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS
|
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts
% |
W/L |
Home |
9 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
23 |
12 |
+11 |
0 |
1 |
2.556 |
1.333 |
72.2 |
+4 |
Away |
9 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
24 |
8 |
+16 |
1 |
4 |
2.667 |
0.889 |
66.7 |
+3 |
All |
18 |
12 |
1 |
5 |
47 |
20 |
+27 |
1 |
5 |
2.611 |
1.111 |
69.4 |
+7 |
Eric Brook
- Match Record - By Type of Match |
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS |
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts% |
W/L |
British Championship |
12 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
28 |
11 |
+17 |
1 |
4 |
2.333 |
0.917 |
70.8 |
+5 |
Friendly |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
19 |
9 |
+10 |
0 |
1 |
3.167 |
1.50 |
66.7 |
+2 |
All |
18 |
12 |
1 |
5 |
47 |
20 |
+27 |
1 |
5 |
2.611 |
1.111 |
69.4 |
+7 |
Eric Brook
- Match Record - Tournament Matches |
British Championship Competition |
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS |
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts% |
W/L |
BC 1929-30 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
+3 |
0 |
1 |
3.00 |
0.00 |
100.0 |
+1 |
BC 1933-34 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
+5 |
0 |
2 |
2.333 |
0.667 |
66.7 |
+1 |
BC 1934-35 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
+3 |
1 |
1 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
66.7 |
+1 |
BC 1935-36 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
+1 |
0 |
0 |
1.667 |
1.333 |
50.0 |
=0 |
BC 1937-38 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
+5 |
0 |
0 |
3.50 |
1.00 |
100.0 |
+2 |
BC
All |
12 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
28 |
11 |
+17 |
1 |
4 |
2.333 |
0.917 |
70.8 |
+5 |
All Competition |
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS |
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts% |
W/L |
BC |
12 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
28 |
11 |
+17 |
1 |
4 |
2.333 |
0.917 |
70.8 |
+5 |
All |
12 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
28 |
11 |
+17 |
1 |
4 |
2.333 |
0.917 |
70.8 |
+5 |
Eric Brook
- Match History
Club:
Manchester City F.C. - 18
full appearances (1620 min), 10 goals |
F.A. International Selection Committee - 18 full appearances (1620 min)x
|
Age 26 |
5 |
190 |
6 December 1933
- England 4 France 1,
White
Hart Lane, Tottenham |
Fr |
HW |
Start
20 |
ol |
6 |
191 |
14 April 1934 - England 3
Scotland
0,
Empire
Stadium, Wembley |
BC |
HW |
Start
70 |
ol |
7 |
192 |
10 May 1934 -
Hungary 2
England 1,
Stadion Üllõi út, Budapest |
tour |
AL |
Start |
ol |
8 |
193 |
16 May 1934 -
Czechoslovakia
2 England 1, Stadión Letná, Praha |
AL |
Start |
ol |
9 |
194 |
29 September 1934 -
Wales 0 England
4,
Ninian Park, Cardiff
|
BC |
AW |
Start
30 |
ol |
10 |
195 |
14 November 1934 -
England 3
Italy 2,
Arsenal Stadium,
Highbury |
Fr |
HW |
Start
  
1,9,12 |
ol |
Notes
____________________
CG
|
|