England soccer star dies aged 93

A former England football star, who also played in four successive 1940s Wembley cup finals, has died aged 93.

Bert 'Sailor' Brown, recognised as one of the best inside forwards of his day, made six appearances for England.

Mr Brown made his name with Charlton after joining them in 1934 from Norfolk club Gorleston - where he later returned as player manager in 1950.

He lived in Gorleston for most of his life but spent his later years in Forres, Scotland.

Mr Brown also played for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa after World War II.

Dubbed 'Popeye'

He served as a sergeant in the RAF during the war but made guest appearances for Newcastle, West Ham and other teams, as well as playing alongside the likes of Stanley Matthews for England.

At Wembley, he played in the League Cup South finals of 1943 and 1944 for Charlton and 1945 for Millwall.

The following year, he was in the Charlton side beaten by Derby in the first post-war FA Cup final.

He moved to Forest for a fee of £6,750 in May 1946 and was then bought by Villa for a club record of £10,000 the following year.

His playing career was effectively ended after he suffered a broken jaw in a match against Portsmouth in 1949.

He retired from football in 1956 after returning to his hometown Gorleston as the local team's manager.

He later worked as a bookmaker and a timber merchant whilst also scouting for Arsenal.

Mr Brown was known as Sailor for most of his career, the nickname sticking after he was called Popeye by his Charlton team-mates because of his short, muscular build and rolling gait.

He is survived by three children, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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