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Jackie Brown (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Jackie Brown also referred to as Johnny Brown or John Brown, was a dual internationalist
who played football for both Ireland teams – the IFA XI
and FAI XI. He was born in Belfast
, Ireland
.
and he subsequently scored in a 6–1 defeat against an English League XI.
In December 1934, shortly after his 20th birthday, Brown signed for English First Division
side Wolverhampton Wanderers
, making his debut on 12 January 1935 in a 4–0 win over in the FA Cup
. Although his time at Molineux
saw him become an international, he failed to hold down a regular place at club level. He left in October 1936 to join fellow Midlanders Coventry City
after just 31 appearances for Wolves (and 7 goals).
He stayed at Coventry for just under two years, making 73 appearances, scoring 29 times. In September 1938 he joined Birmingham City
and during the final season before the suspension of league football due to World War
, 1938-39, he played 34 league games and scored 6 goals. He also played 4 games in the FA Cup
and scored 1 goal. He remained with the club during wartime, making a further 28 wartime regional league appearances (scoring 7 times).
As the war ended, Brown was playing for Barry Town
. Then in May 1948, aged 33, he signed for Ipswich Town
, at the time playing in Division Three South. He made his debut for Town away to Bristol Rovers
on 21 August 1948. He subsequently made 106 competitive appearances and scored 27 goals for Town before retiring as a player in June 1951. He made his last appearance for the club against Bristol City
on 5 May 1951
– based IFA
and the Irish Free State
– based FAI
claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland
and selected players from the whole island. As a result several notable Irish players from this era, including Brown played for both teams.
, he made his international debut for the IFA XI, against England
in a 2–1 defeat, on 6 February 1935. He scored his only goal for the IFA XI on 19 October 1935 in a 3–1 defeat to England. Brown played regularly for the IFA XI before the outbreak of the Second World War, making his last appearance on 15 March 1939 in a 3–1 defeat to Wales
.
, Brown also made 2 appearances and scored 1 goal for the FAI XI (forerunners of the Republic of Ireland national football team
). However injury and controversy denied him the opportunity to add to this total. Brown was one of several players born in Northern Ireland
who benefited from the FAI’s attempts to establish their all-Ireland influence. He was first called up by the FAI for a game against Germany
on 17 October 1936 but he was injured at the time.
In May 1937 the FAI organised a European tour with a squad that included Brown and two other Northerners, Davy Jordan
and John Feenan
. Brown made his debut for the FAI XI on 17 May in a 1–0 win against Switzerland
. A week later, on 23 May, he scored the second goal as the FAI XI defeated France
2–0. This would prove to be his last appearance for the FAI XI. However in May 1938, for another European tour, the FAI once again called up Brown, together with two other Northerners, Harry Baird and Walter McMillen
. However this time the IFA objected and all three players received telegrams from the English FA
ordering them not to accept the offer on the grounds they were not born in the Irish Free State
.
Dual Irish international footballers
Dual Irish international footballers are a group of Irish international footballers who, between 1908 and March 1950, played for the international teams selected by both the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland...
who played football for both Ireland teams – the IFA XI
Ireland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
and FAI XI. He was born in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Club career
Brown was serving an apprenticeship in the linen trade and playing football for his works team, William Ewart & Son F.C., when he was spotted by Belfast Celtic during the early 1930s. In 1934, while playing for Celtic, he was selected to play for the Irish League XIIrish League XI
The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland and, prior to that, Ireland.-Irish League representative match results:...
and he subsequently scored in a 6–1 defeat against an English League XI.
In December 1934, shortly after his 20th birthday, Brown signed for English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
side Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, making his debut on 12 January 1935 in a 4–0 win over in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. Although his time at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
saw him become an international, he failed to hold down a regular place at club level. He left in October 1936 to join fellow Midlanders Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
after just 31 appearances for Wolves (and 7 goals).
He stayed at Coventry for just under two years, making 73 appearances, scoring 29 times. In September 1938 he joined Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and during the final season before the suspension of league football due to World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
, 1938-39, he played 34 league games and scored 6 goals. He also played 4 games in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and scored 1 goal. He remained with the club during wartime, making a further 28 wartime regional league appearances (scoring 7 times).
As the war ended, Brown was playing for Barry Town
Barry Town F.C.
Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated...
. Then in May 1948, aged 33, he signed for Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, at the time playing in Division Three South. He made his debut for Town away to Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
on 21 August 1948. He subsequently made 106 competitive appearances and scored 27 goals for Town before retiring as a player in June 1951. He made his last appearance for the club against Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
on 5 May 1951
International career
When Brown began his international career in 1935 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
– based IFA
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
and the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
– based FAI
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and selected players from the whole island. As a result several notable Irish players from this era, including Brown played for both teams.
IFA XI
Between 1935 and 1939 Brown made 10 appearances and scored 1 goal for the IFA XI. Within three months of signing for WolvesWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, he made his international debut for the IFA XI, against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a 2–1 defeat, on 6 February 1935. He scored his only goal for the IFA XI on 19 October 1935 in a 3–1 defeat to England. Brown played regularly for the IFA XI before the outbreak of the Second World War, making his last appearance on 15 March 1939 in a 3–1 defeat to Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
FAI XI
In 1937, while playing for Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, Brown also made 2 appearances and scored 1 goal for the FAI XI (forerunners of the Republic of Ireland national football team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
). However injury and controversy denied him the opportunity to add to this total. Brown was one of several players born in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
who benefited from the FAI’s attempts to establish their all-Ireland influence. He was first called up by the FAI for a game against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
on 17 October 1936 but he was injured at the time.
In May 1937 the FAI organised a European tour with a squad that included Brown and two other Northerners, Davy Jordan
Davy Jordan
Davy Jordan is a former footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ireland during the 1930s. He also played for Glentoran, Hull City and Crystal Palace.-Club career:...
and John Feenan
John Feenan
John Feenan , also referred to as Johnny Feenan, is a former Northern Irish footballer who played for Belfast Celtic, Sunderland and Shelbourne. As an international he also played for Ireland. In the 1940s he served as manager of Shelbourne...
. Brown made his debut for the FAI XI on 17 May in a 1–0 win against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
. A week later, on 23 May, he scored the second goal as the FAI XI defeated France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
2–0. This would prove to be his last appearance for the FAI XI. However in May 1938, for another European tour, the FAI once again called up Brown, together with two other Northerners, Harry Baird and Walter McMillen
Walter McMillen
Walter S. McMillen was a Northern Irish footballer. His regular position was as a defender. He was born in Belfast. He played for Distillery, Manchester United, Cliftonville Strollers, Cliftonville Olympic, and Chesterfield....
. However this time the IFA objected and all three players received telegrams from the English FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
ordering them not to accept the offer on the grounds they were not born in the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
.
Sources
- The Boys In Green – The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1851589392
- Soccer at War – 1939 – 45 (2005): Jack Rollin http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/075531431X