Jackie Brown (footballer)

Football player infobox
playername= Jackie Brown


fullname = John Brown
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1914|11|8
cityofbirth = Belfast
countryofbirth = Ireland
position= Winger
years = 19xx–1933
1933–1934
1934–1936
1936–1938
1938–1943
194x–1948
1948–1951
clubs= William Ewart & Son F.C.
Belfast Celtic
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Coventry City
Birmingham
Barry Town
Ipswich Town
caps(goals) =
27 0(6)
69 (26)
34 0(6)
98 (25)
nationalyears = 1934
1935–1939
1937
nationalteam = Irish League XI
Ireland (IFA)
Ireland (FAI)
nationalcaps(goals) = 02 0(1)
10 0(1)
02 0(1)

Jackie Brown (born November 8 1914, Belfast, Ireland), also referred to as either Johnny Brown or John Brown, was a dual internationalist who played football for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and FAI XI.

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 XI 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 Wolves, but despite becoming an international, he failed to hold down a regular place in the team.

In October 1936 Brown moved to Coventry City where he made 69 league appearances, scoring 26 goals. He also scored a further 3 goals in 4 FA Cup games for City. In September 1938 he joined Birmingham and during the final season before the Second World War started, 1938-39, he played 34 league games and scored 6 goals. He also played 4 games in the FA Cup and scored 1 goal. During the war Brown made a further 28 wartime regional league appearances and scored 7 goals for Birmingham.

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 August 21 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 May 5 1951

Irish international

When Brown began his international career in 1935 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland - 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.

IFA XI

Between 1935 and 1939 Brown made 10 appearances and scored 1 goal for the IFA XI. Within three months of signing for Wolves, he made his international debut for the IFA XI, against England in a 2-1 defeat, on February 6 1935. On October 19 1935 he scored his only goal for the IFA XI 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 March 15 1939 in a 3-1 defeat to Wales.

FAI XI

In 1937, while playing for Coventry City, Brown also made 2 appearances and scored 1 goal for the FAI XI. 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 October 17 1936 but he was injured at the time. Then 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 May 17 in a 1-0 win against Switzerland. A week later, on May 23, 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.

ources

*"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]

External links

* [http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/08/jackie-brown.html Northern Ireland’s Footballing Greats]
* [http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/player.php?id=371 Ireland (FAI) stats]
* [http://www.tmwmtt.com/sql/players/profile.phtml?first=Jackie&last=Brown Ipswich Town fansite]