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4 June 2025
 
 

Jimmy Conlin

Bradford City FC

 1 appearance, 0 goals

P 1 W 0 D 0 L 1 F 1: A 2
0% successful
1906

captain: none
minutes played: 90
Timeline
  Private James Conlin
Birth Wednesday, 6 July 1881 in Consett, County Durham
  no registration found

Birth notes

 There were two James Conlin's registered in Durham (Sunderland district), one in June 1881, the other in September 1882.

Between April and June 1881 Mary Ann Courtney is pregnant with the child who would become James. She would marry his father, Luke Conlin, in Lanchester, County Durham. But they did return to Coatsbridge before 1886, where all future Conlin's were born.

According to the 1891 census, James is the oldest of four children to Luke and Mary Ann. His younger three siblings were all born in Coatbridge from 1885. His Scottish father is a puddler, and the live at The Depot in Old Monkland in Coatsbridge, Scotland.
According to the 1901 census, nineteen year old James remains the oldest of the four children still at home with their parents. Now living at 69 North Jackson Street in Old Monkland. James is a labourer at the Iron Works.
Marriage to Elizabeth presumably married in Scotland in 1904
  no registration found
Children Jimmy and Elizabeth Conlin have two children together. David (b.1906 Bradford) and Elizabeth Ann (b.1909 Coatbridge)
 

According to the 1911 census, James is married to Elizabeth and is a professional footballer, he has two children, David and Elizabeth Ann. They live at 10 Moorland Street in West Gorton, Manchester.
Death
Killed in Action
Saturday, 23 June 1917
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Nieuport memorial (left), Arrondissement Veurne, West-Vlaanderen.
aged 35 years 352 days registered in Army Deaths
 

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990], BantamsPast.co.uk/FallenHeroes &

Playing Career

Club(s)		 Jimmy began his career in Scotland with captain Colt's Rovers. He went onto Cambuslang FC and Hibernian FC. He joined Falkirk FC on 9 January 1900, and on 14 March 1901 he joined Albion Rovers as a left winger.  Conlin should have signed for Bradford City FC in April 1904, however, Albion Rovers wanted £200. City appealed to the Scottish League Committee and they set Conlin's transfer fee at £60. Albion Rovers responded by alleging that City had approached Conlin without their consent. An international committee, made up of representatives from both sides of the border, met at Carlisle on 23 September. City were found guilty, but the transfer was allowed to proceed. City were fined £50 for their 'illegal' approach of the player. However, a £100 transfer fee was approved and Conlin was thus freed to appear in City's victory over Port Vale at Valley Parade on 24 September 1904.

Jimmy became the first Bradford City player ever to be sent off when he was dismissed during a 6-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on 11 November 1905. On 10 February 1906 he was at the centre of yet another controversy. Manchester United came to Valley Parade, during the game United's burly Bob Bonthron repeatedly clashed with Jimmy. The crowd 'angered by Jimmy's treatment' got completely out of hand. After the game the visiting team were pelted with missiles as they made their way up Holywell Ash Lane. The Football League held a commission of enquiry and duly closed Valley Parade for a fortnight between 1-14 March.  Sadly, Jimmy's off field problems worsened when he failed to turn up for several Airdrieonians training sessions. On 4 February 1913, after Jimmy admitted having a drink problem, the board fined him again, ordered him to find work and told him to stop drinking. The warning had no effect, on 15 April 1913 Jimmy was suspended by the club and placed on the transfer list. Obviously, the club still rated him as a footballer, as they were asking £200 for his services. 
  On 13 July 1906, Manchester City paid £1,000 to secure Jimmy's services, and then left for Birmingham FC on 29 September 1911. A stay that was unfortunately plagued by injury. On 8 July 1912, Jimmy moved back to Scotland, with Airdrieonians FC, for a fee of £150, but on 7 October he was fined £2 10s. for failing to turn up for a game. On 13 August 1913, it was reported that he had joined Broxburn Athletic FC, but it was a move that was 'not the will of the directors', as the £200 was not forthcoming. Jimmy completed 27 appearances for Airdrie, scoring six goals. His long and occasionally troubled career ended at Broxburn.

League honours
243 appearances 35 goals
one expulsion		 Bradford City FC 1904-06 61 appearances, five goals
debut (division two): 24 September 1904 Bradford City FC 2 Burslem Port Vale FC 1.
Manchester City FC 1906-11 161 appearances, 28 goals
debut: 1 September 1906 Manchester City FC 1 Woolwich Arsenal FC 4.
Birmingham FC 1911-12 21 appearances, two goals
debut (division two): 30 September 1911 Birmingham FC 4 Leeds City FC 3.
last (division two): 2 March 1912 Grimsby Town FC 1 Birmingham FC 0.
Club onours Scottish Combination Championship 1901-02, 1902-03;
Lanarkshire Cup runner-up 1902-03 winner 1911-12.
Scottish Qualifying Cup rrunner-up 1903-04.
Football League Division One third place 1907-08 (37ᵃ 6ᵍ); Division Two winner 1909-10 (35ᵃ 11ᵍ).
Individual onours None
Distinctions None
Height/Weight 5' 5", 9st. 1lbs [1906]. Athletic News, in 1927, stated 5' 4", 9st 6lbs.

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]

England Career
Player number One of three who became the 318th players (320) to appear for England.
Position(s) Outside-left
Only match No. 88, 7 April 1906, Scotland 2 England 1, a British Championship match at Hampden Park, Mount Florida, Glasgow, aged 24 years 275 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1905-06
Team honours British Championship shared 1905-06
Individual honours None
Distinctions Died 22 days after Jack Yates

Beyond England
At the outbreak of the Great War, James enlisted in Coatbridge with the Highland Light Infantry, serving in the 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Glasgow). The battalion was transferred to the Nieuport sector on the Belgium coast during June 1917, in readiness to support a British offensive at the third Battle of Ypres. This is where Private Conlin (26447) died. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.72./BantamsPast.co.uk/FallenHeroes


The Numbers
parties Appearances comp. apps minutes captain
1 1 1 90 0 none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1 2 0 -1
His only match was in the British Championship competition and at an away venue

Tournament Record

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1905-06 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
BC All 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1.00 2.00 0.00 -1
1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 0 1 2 0 -1

Match History

 Club: Bradford City F.C. - one full appearances (90 min) F.A. International Select Committee - one full appearance (90 min)x

apps match match details comp res. rundown pos

Age 24
1 88 7 April 1906 - Scotland 2 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC AL   ol
  

one of three who became the 318th player (320) to appear for England
the fourth Bradford City FC player to represent England

  

 
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