Brown played 135 games for the Shaymen from 1985 to 1988 but there was no easy ride for the former Hull City and Derby County boss as Pete Wild’s men ran riot.
Goals from Jesse Debrah and Martin Woods sandwich between a Jordan Maguire-Drew penalty gave the Shaymen a narrow lead at the interval before Billy Waters added a third.
“I’ve worked hard to continue playing for 21 years,” said the former Reading, Nottingham Forest and Derby County striker. “So you’ve got to enjoy moments like this.
The Magpies saw Ryan Upward sent off for a second yellow card seven minutes before half-time and the visitors took full advantage with Jake Hyde scoring soon after and King doubling the lead on the hour mark.
The slight compensation for their manager Daryl McMahon is that with his side’s latest victory, their seventh in eight games, they may well also have dashed Halifax Town’s hopes of making the top seven too.
The defeat sees the Shaymen – who saw Danny Williams sent off in the second half – stay in fifth place in the National League table but the gap has tightened up below with Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield all winning.
The 31-year-old –a high-profile signing from Fleetwood Town last month – played his most vital role yet as his solitary goal continued Stockport’s title push at the expense of play-off chasing FC Halifax Town.
A penalty from the National League’s top scorer Michael Cheek – his 20th goal of the season – and a stoppage time second from substitute James Alabi ensured Neill Byrne’s goal back with almost the last kick of the game was mere consolation.
The Shaymen were clearly still licking their wounds from Tuesday night’s 4-0 home thumping by Wrexham when goals from Michael Gash and Sonny Carey gave King’s Lynn a shock 2-0 lead inside 25 minutes.