Milburn: James (Jim)

1935-1952 (Player Details) (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Left Back

Born: Ashington: 21-09-1919

Debut: v Sheffield United (h): 02-09-1939

5’6 1/4” 11st 1 1/2lb (1951)

‘Iron Man’ Jim Milburn was the youngest of the Leeds brothers. His cousin Jackie, known as 'Wor Jackie', played for Newcastle United. Other members of the Milburn family included brothers Jack (Leeds United and Bradford City) George (Leeds United and Chesterfield), and Stan (Chesterfield, Leicester City and Rochdale), as well as his nephews Bobby and Jack Charlton of England and World Cup fame. His career followed that of George and he played for Ashington before joining Leeds in October 1935, when just sixteen. He did not get a first-team chance until the final match of the aborted 1939-40 season and had to wait seven years for his next League game. He played fifty-two times for Leeds in wartime football. He served the Royal Artillery in India, was later wounded in Belgium in 1944 and also served in the Civil Defence. He also made guest appearances for several clubs apart from Leeds. Darlington, five games in 1939-40, and Ashington, near his home town. Five games for Wrexham in 1939-40, sixteen in 1941-42, six in 1942-43, eight in 1943-44, in which he scored two goals and three games in 1944-45. He had one game with Tranmere Rovers in 1942-43 and five games with Watford in the same season, together with one goal in fourteen gmes in 1943-44 and three goals in fourteen games in 1944-45. In those War Years he had been a regular presence at Leeds whenever he was not on active duty. He had made his Wartime debut at Left Back in the 1939-40 Regional League North-East Division on 2nd December 1939 in a 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town at Elland Road but it was his only game in that campaign. He played the first game of the 1940-41 North Regional League but did not play again until he played in each of the last eight fixtures of the campaign, scoring from the spot in the last game in a 2-3 defeat by Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park. 1941-42 saw him play three times in the Football League Northern Section First Championship and eleven games in the Second Championship, scoring from the spot in a 3-2 win at Middlesbrough on 25th April 1942. There were six games in the First Championship of the 1942-43 Football League Northern Section and four more games in the Second Championship with a goal from open play in a 2-0 home win over Bradford Park Avenue in the penultimate game of the campaign. 1943-44 Football League Northern Section saw four appearances in the First Championship and three in the second, but he was not available again until the final ten games of the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section to finish as the player in command of the Left Back position at the end of the War. In 1946-47 he made up for lost time with a series of stirring defensive displays. Although he was more slightly built than his brothers, his tackling was probably fiercer. Like Jack, he enjoyed taking penalties and, when Leeds were struggling for goals, he played a number of games at Centre-Forward. When he left Leeds for Bradford Park Avenue in June 1952, it severed a twenty-four year link between United and the three Milburns. Jim continued to turn in high quality displays with Park Avenue until he retired in 1955. He scored ten times in ninety League appearances for Park Avenue. He died at Wakefield in January 1985.