James Millar (4 May 1876 – January 1932) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a half back.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Alexander Millar | ||
| Date of birth | 4 May 1876[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Elgin, Scotland[1] | ||
| Date of death | January 1932 (aged 55) | ||
| Place of death | Michigan, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Half back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Elgin City | |||
| 1898–1900 | Rangers | 5 | (0) |
| 1899–1900 | → Port Glasgow Athletic (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 1900–1903 | Middlesbrough | 20 | (0) |
| 1903–1907 | Bradford City | 118 | (1) |
| 1909–1912 | Aberdeen | 77 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career edit
Millar spent his early career with Elgin City,[1] Rangers,[2] Port Glasgow Athletic[1][3] and Middlesbrough.[4] At Rangers he played as an "attacking wing half"[4] and won the Scottish Football League title in his one full season, 1898–99, playing in the final five of the 18 fixtures – all of which Rangers won.[5] For Middlesbrough, he made 20 appearances in the Football League; he also made 3 FA Cup appearances.[6]
He joined Bradford City in June 1903, becoming one of the club's first professional players.[4] He was a "popular figure" and was elected by his teammates to serve as vice-captain to both Johnny McMillan and Fred Halliday.[4] He played in City's first ever Football League match on 1 September 1903, against Grimsby Town, playing as centre-half in that game.[4] He spent most of his time with City playing as a half back.[4] He retired due to injury in 1907, having made 118 league and 11 FA Cup appearances.[4] In 1909, Bradford City gave him a benefit match (shared with George Robinson).[7] That same year he returned to football, playing with Aberdeen until 1912.[4][1]
Millar later worked as a sheep farmer in Australia, before dying in Michigan in January 1932, aged 55.[4] Millar was also a "fine landscape painter".[4]
Career statistics edit
| Club | Seasons | League | National Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rangers | 1898-99 | Scottish Division One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1899-00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Port Glasgow Athletic (loan) | 1899-00 | Scottish Division Two | 13 | 3 | - | - | 13+ | 3+ |
| Middlesbrough | 1900-01 | Second Division | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 1901-02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1902-03 | First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Bradford City | 1903-04 | Second Division | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| 1904-05 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1905-06 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1906-07 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Total | - | - | - | - | 118 | 1 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1909-10 | Scottish Division One | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| 1910-11 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 1911-12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 77 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 84 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 115+ | 2+ | 10+ | 0+ | 243+ | 6+ | ||
Sources edit
- Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "James Millar profile". AFC Heritage Trust. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Rangers player James Elgin Miller [sic]". FitbaStats. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
Possibly a nickname derived from his birthplace as there was another player by the same name in the squad.
- ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j Frost, p. 124
- ^ Stuart Spencer (16 January 2019). "The Season of 1898-99". Scottish Football Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Profile". 11v11.
- ^ Frost, p. 135
- ^ "11v11".
- ^ "Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
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