| Intro | Former English footballer now Assistant Manager, born 1972 |
| Is |
Sports official Athlete Football player Association football player Association football manager |
| From | United Kingdom |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 13 May 1972, Brighton |
| Age: | 48 years |
Steven Byron “Steve” Brown (born 13 May 1972) is an English former football player and ex-manager of Lewes.
Career
Born in Brighton, Brown spent his career as a defender for two different clubs. He started his career with Charlton Athletic in 1990, where he was to spend the bulk of his career. His twelve-year spell at Charlton saw the club twice gain promotion to the Premier League, once as champions and the other in their dramatic win over Sunderland in the 1998 play-off final, winning 7-6 on penalties after a 4-4 draw, with Brown scoring one of the penalties. An extremely popular player with supporters, he also acquired the reputation of a versatile player; indeed, he played in goal four times for Charlton without conceding. This memorably happened in the Premier League against Aston Villa when Andy Petterson was sent off. He also captained the side on numerous occasions and played in the team that equalled the league record of 12 straight wins whilst in the First Division (now Championship). He was an integral part of the squad that retained Premier League status in 2001 and he helped Charlton secure their highest-ever finish in the Premier League before his departure in December 2002.
After over twelve years with Charlton, he was signed by former Charlton team-mate Alan Pardew for Reading in late 2002. After two-and-a-half years, scoring once against Crystal Palace, he retired from the game with a recurrence of an anterior cruciate ligament injury which had ruptured earlier in his career.
After football
Brown became a youth coach at Charlton Athletic before moving to West Ham United (by then managed by Pardew) to become reserve-team coach. He ended his role in July 2007 after Alan Pardew’s dismissal led to changes in the back room staff. Brown then worked as head of football at Ardingly College whilst attaining his UEFA A Licence and led the school’s first XI to the quarter -inals of the national cup. Whilst at Ardingly, Brown scouted for Charlton Athletic and was often heard commentating on the radio for BBC London.
After attaining his UEFA A Licence in 2008, Brown agreed to become the Brighton youth team manager. During his spell at Brighton his team finished second and fifth in the league and progressed through to the fourth and third rounds of the FA Youth Cup. In his two-year spell at Brighton, 11 youth players signed professional contracts, five of which made first-team appearances.
In 2011 Brown became Nicky Forster’s assistant at Dover Athletic in the Conference South.
On 3 June 2013, Brown was appointed manager of Ebbsfleet United, succeeding Liam Daish. He appointed former Charlton player Steve Gritt as his assistant.
Brown can still be heard commentating on matches for BBC London, and has recently accepted a post working for Pro Academy Soccer.
On 26 November 2014, Ebbsfleet United announced Brown’s departure from the club.
On 4 March 2015, Brown was announced as the new interim manager of Isthmian Premier Division side Lewes until the end of this season. After ensuring the Sussex club’s survival from relegation, Brown was appointed Lewes manager on a permanent basis ahead of the 2015–16 season. On 24 September 2015, Brown’s resignation was accepted by the Lewes board after a poor start to the season.