James Brophy

Before he was a professional footballer, James Brophy worked as a sales analyst at British Airways and played part-time. His football came in the evenings and at weekends, at Woodlands United, Belstone, Broadfields United and Edgware Town.

A trial at Swindon Town changed that. It went well enough for him to sign his first professional contract there in August 2015, straight from non-league football. He stayed until January 2018, when he moved to Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee.

Orient gave him his first title. In 2018–19 he played 45 games and scored four goals, including in the play-offs, as the club won the National League and returned to the English Football League. He made 149 appearances for Orient in all, 121 of them in the league, before leaving in June 2021.

He joined Cambridge United that month on a free transfer. In his first season, 2021–22, he played 43 league games and scored once as the club went up from League Two to League One. He stayed for five years and made 222 league appearances. In 2024–25 Cambridge supporters voted him their Player of the Year.

His time there ended with a relegation. Cambridge dropped back to League Two at the end of 2025–26, and in July 2026 Brophy signed for Gillingham on a free transfer when his contract expired.

He has not played for England at any level.