Stephen Rhys Browne (born 16 November 1995) is an Antiguan

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for club Woking. He will join

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

on 1 July 2024. Able to play as a winger or striker, he has been

capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...

by the

Antigua and Barbuda national football team The Antigua and Barbuda national football team is the national team of Antigua and Barbuda and is controlled by the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association, a member of the CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). History First int ...

. A former

youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future i ...

player at

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

and

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...

, he also spent time on

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

at Isthmian League side VCD Athletic. He won the FA Youth Cup and

Norfolk Senior Cup The Norfolk Senior Cup (currently known as the Ashtons Legal Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football cup competition for clubs in the county of Norfolk, England, who compete between steps three and seven of the non-League pyramid. The fi ...

with Norwich, but did not play a first-team game for the "Canaries". He spent the 2015–16 season with

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spring ...

in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

, before winning a move into the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

with

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...

in June 2016. From Grimsby he was loaned out to

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...

, and played on the losing side in the

2017 FA Trophy final The 2016–17 FA Trophy Final was the 48th final of the Football Association's cup competition for teams at levels 5–8 of the English football league system. The match was contested between Macclesfield Town and York City. The final of the FA ...

. He joined

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

in June 2017, before departing following the club's

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

out of the Football League at the end of the 2018–19 season. He remained in the Football League however, signing with

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

in July 2019. He left the club in August 2020 and joined Sutton United via

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...

in January 2021. Sutton went on to win

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

champions at the end of the 2020–21 season. He rejoined

in June 2021 and was sold on to Woking in October 2022.

Club career

Early career

Browne joined

as a

player, having previously played for Interwood. He was part of the squad that won the

2012–13 FA Youth Cup The 2012–13 FA Youth Cup was the 61st edition of the FA Youth Cup. The competition consisted of several rounds and was preceded by a qualifying competition, starting with the preliminary round which is followed by 3 qualifying rounds for non- ...

with 4–2 aggregate victory over

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, as well as the

that same season with a 2–0 win over

Wroxham Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres, and in 2001, had a population of 1,532 in 666 households. A reduced population of 1,502 in 653 households ...

. He never made the senior team at Carrow Road however, and was released by Norwich at the end of the 2013–14 season, subsequently joining

. From Charlton he was

ed out to VCD Athletic of the Isthmian League. He left The Valley after being released by Charlton in May 2015.

Aldershot Town

Following his release from Charlton, Browne went on trial with

club

. During his time on trial he scored in friendlies against

Basingstoke Town Basingstoke Town Football Club is a football club based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Winklebury Sports Complex. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'Never a step backward' ...

and Chelsea under-21s, and impressed

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Barry Smith enough to win a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

on 31 July 2015. Browne made his competitive début and scored his first goal for the "Shots" in a 2–1 defeat to Gateshead at the

Recreation Ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

on 8 August. He went on to score seven goals in 41 appearances across the 2015–16 season as Aldershot posted a 15th-place finish.

Grimsby Town

On 21 June 2016, Browne signed a two-year contract with newly- promoted

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the "Mariners" in the EFL Cup, coming on as a 55th-minute substitute for

Sean McAllister Sean Brian McAllister (born 15 August 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Primarily as a central midfielder, he has good vision and passing ability. He began his professional career at Sheffield Wedne ...

in a 1–0 defeat at

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

. He made a further seven appearances for the club, all as a substitute, and new manager Marcus Bignot revealed that he was working to get the young striker a loan move closer to his family home after time spent on compassionate leave following the death of his father. On 12 January, he joined National League side

on loan until the end of the 2016–17 season. He scored his first goal in his first league start for the "Silkmen", in a 1–0 win at

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, ...

on 21 February. He scored four goals in six games of the club's FA Trophy run, including one in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

, though Macclesfield would lose the game 3–2 to

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

. In all he scored six goals in 24 games during his time at

Moss Rose Moss Rose, known as The Leasing.com Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, which is the home ground of Macclesfield F.C., and the former home of Macclesfield Town, a club wound up in September ...

Yeovil Town

On 16 June 2017, Browne left Grimsby for

, signing a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He stated that the "Glovers" aim was to achieve automatic promotion, though admitted that "I've never really played in this league before so I don't really know what the test is". On 30 January, he scored past former club Grimsby in a 3–0 win at

Huish Park Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium has been home to Yeovil Town F.C. since its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands ...

. He ended the 2017–18 campaign with six goals in 42 games as Darren Way's Yeovil posted a 19th-place finish. Having contributed just one goal from 30 appearances in the 2018–19 season and missing the end of season run-in with a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

injury, Browne was released by Yeovil following the club's

from the Football League.

Port Vale

Browne signed for League Two side

on 27 July 2019, having been on trial at the club throughout pre season; he had previously played under manager

John Askey John Colin Askey (born 4 November 1964) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club York City. He is the son of former Port Vale player Colin Askey. Able to play as a winger or as a ...

at Macclesfield Town. A hamstring problem caused him to miss the first month of the 2019–20 season, and he eventually made his debut for the "Valiants" on 14 September, replacing Callum Evans 35 minutes into a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...

; ironically Evans was taken off due to a hamstring injury, as was winger David Amoo, leaving Browne with an opportunity to stake a first-team place in their absence. He scored his first goal for the club in an EFL Trophy tie against

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

on 3 December. After the game Askey commented that Browne "has a tendency to be lazy" but "has got a lot of ability ndif he is confident then he can play at a high level". Speaking in February, first-team

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Danny Pugh Daniel Adam Pugh (born 19 October 1982) is an English professional football coach and former player. A versatile player, he could play in midfield or at left-back. He began his career with Manchester United, and made a handful of first team ...

said that "he has done exceptionally well in the last couple of games...

hough Hough may refer to: * Hamstringing, or severing the Achilles tendon of an animal * the leg or shin of an animal (in the Scots language), from which the dish potted hough is made * Hough (surname) Communities United Kingdom * Hough, Alderley E ...

it has been a frustrating season or him andmaybe he has not played as much as he would have liked". He signed a new one-year contract after he ended the campaign with one goals in 15 appearances. On 29 August 2020, Browne left Port Vale having had his contract terminated at his request. Askey cited family reasons for the player's departure, adding that "it was a shame because he was doing well".

Non-League

On 23 December 2020, Browne signed for National League side

. He made only one brief appearance for the "Stones", in a 4–0 defeat at

Maidenhead United Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of and have played at York Road since 1871, making it the 'oldest senior football ground continuously ...

on Boxing day. On 6 January 2021, Browne signed for fellow National League side

Sutton United Sutton United Football Club is a professional football club in Sutton, South London, England, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They play home games at Gander Green Lane in Sutton about 11 miles so ...

. He made 14 appearances in the second half of the

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

season, as Sutton secured promotion into the Football League as champions of the National League. However, he was one of seven players released in the summer by manager Matt Gray. Browne returned to Wealdstone in June 2021, signing a one-year contract with an option for a second year. On 13 November 2021, Browne scored his first goal for the Stones, coming off the bench and scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory over

Grosvenor Vale Grosvenor Vale is a football ground in Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruisli ...

. In March 2022, Browne scored three goals in two games, with a goal away to

and a brace in a 3–2 win over Weymouth. He ended the 2021–22 season with six goals in 29 games. On 14 October 2022, Browne joined league rivals Woking for an undisclosed fee, having scored seven goals in thirteen league games in the early part of Wealdstone's season. He scored 13 goals from 31 appearances in the remainder of the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

campaign, helping Woking to a fourth-place finish. He featured 22 times in the 2023–24 season, including in the final day victory over

AFC Fylde AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm. Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wesh ...

that secured safety from relegation. Following their final-day survival, he was offered a new contract by Woking. On 14 May 2024, Browne joined National League rivals

on a two-year deal.

International career

Browne made his international début for

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...

at the

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup where it hosted Super 8 matches. The stadium usually caters for 10,000 people, but temporary seating double ...

on 10 June 2015, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute for

Keiran Murtagh Keiran Zac Murtagh (born 29 October 1988) is a footballer who represents Dartford and Antigua and Barbuda at international level. Club career Murtagh joined Conference South side Fisher Athletic in November 2007, in his only season at the Lon ...

in a 4–1 defeat to Saint Lucia in the second round of 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualification. His second

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

and first international start came in the second leg, where he was substituted in the 46th-minute in a 4–1 win; Antigua won 5–4 on aggregate, and advanced to the

third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. He scored his first international goal on 21 March 2018, opening the scoring in a 3–2 friendly win over

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

Style of play

On signing for Aldershot Town, manager Barry Smith said; "Rhys fulfils everything that we're looking for in a wide player – he's quick, he's got a trick, he's enthusiastic and has had a good upbringing in football. When you see someone as exciting as Rhys you want to have these type of players in your squad". Yeovil manager Darren Way commented that "Rhys is technically a very, very gifted player and someone I've been aware of for the last two years. He likes to get the ball to feet, be positive in one-on-one situations and he's got a good end product in the final third".

Personal life

Browne is the son of former

footballer Steve Browne.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''As of match played 8 June 2021. Antigua & Barbuda score listed first, score column indicates score after each Browne goal.''

Honours

Norwich City Youth * FA Youth Cup: 2012–13 *

: 2013 Macclesfield Town * FA Trophy runner-up: 2016–17 Sutton United *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Rhys 1995 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Havering People from Romford English men's footballers Antigua and Barbuda men's footballers Antigua and Barbuda men's international footballers English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent Sportspeople of Antigua and Barbuda descent Black British sportsmen Men's association football wingers Men's association football forwards Norwich City F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players VCD Athletic F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Wealdstone F.C. players Sutton United F.C. players Woking F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Isthmian League players National League (English football) players English Football League players