SERGIO HAS A BROOK TO CROSS

I am not going to pursue the Harry Kane scoring record this time. I might leave it until tomorrow. The other seriously good goal scorer in the Premier League is Sergio Aguero with 176 goals in 260 games. He is shortly going to break the record for the highest goalscorer for Manchester City in all competitions. I saw Aguero play a few seasons ago at the Stadium of Light and from my perch behind the Sunderland goal it was fascinating to watch the Argentinian move in the final third. There was little else on his mind bar getting into the penalty area.

Aquero had the chance to become top goalscorer for the City club during the week but he needs two more to beat Eric Brook whose 177 goals in 494 games stands as a record still.

Eric Brook was born in Mexborough (South Yorkshire), he avoided going down the mines by being good enough to play for Barnsley before the war. Manchester City signed him and Fred Tilson as a pair for £6,000. They were to join a successful club that included an FA Cup defeat in 1933 against Everton and a win in 1934 beating Portsmouth. City also won the Championship in 1936-7 with Manchester United dropping out of the First Division! Ironically, the next season City were relegated, despite scoring more goals than anyone else 80-unfortunately they let in 77!! One more point would have lifted them 4 places in the division.

Eric continue to score goals from the left wing (often as a wanderer) in a twelve year career which included 18 England caps and 10 goals. It was on a car journey to play against Scotland (for some reason he missed the train) that he was involved in an accident and fractured his skull. That and the War prevented Brook from breaking any further records. As it is he still holds the club's highest scoring total-just.

He never got back into football after the war and he went on to be a coach driver, a crane operator and as most retiring footballers did, owned a pub in Halifax.

Remember that he played with Frank Swift, Cliff Bastin, Stanley Matthews and Raich Carter, all international legends, so he must have been half decent.

At one point he and Fred Tilson and Jackie Bray, all three City players represented England against Wales and Ireland in the Home Championship. The next time this happened it was Bell, Lee and Marsh who represented England and City in 1972.