Wor Jackie!
By Dave Eadevic
May 12 2011
Ashington is a funny place. I was born 15 miles down the road, received a full education in the vagaries of the Geordie language and still I can hardly understand them. Southerners its safe to say will have no chance.What can’t be argued though is this pit village in Northumberland is home to arguably the greatest centre forward Newcastle has ever known, Jackie Milburn was born in Ashington and as a boy was rumored to have supported the great unwashed of the mackem ilk.
However he quickly saw the error of his ways and as an act on contrition, answered an advert for trialists, which had been placed in a local paper by Newcastle United.
Famously arriving with a pair of borrowed football boots wrapped in brown paper, and his lunch – a pie and a bottle of pop, he went about doing, what he did best impressing the hell out of us.
It did not start well however, in his trial match Milburn’s stripes found themselves trailing 3-0, Milburn taking up centre forward position for the second half scored six goals, to allow the stripes to win 9-3, and a legend was born.
Although now a Newcastle player the Second World War meant Milburn still had to work down the pit during the week, whilst turning out in the war time leagues at the weekend.
Once league football returned in 1946 he became a hero, going on to play 395 games scoring 200 goals, a record eventually eclipsed by Alan Shearer.
Playing first on the wing, in 1947 he made the switch to centre forward and was handed the no9 shirt, which it as to be said he wore with pride for years and never sodded off to Liverpool for the cash, not even once, unlike some modern so called number 9’s.
Of course now he is best remembered for the FA cup campaigns of the 50s, when we won three times, becoming the first side ever to retain the trophy with back to back wins in 51 and 52.
1955 saw Jackie scoring the fastest ever FA cup goal in 45 seconds, which stood for many years until a cheating Italian scored an off side penalty, which was curiously allowed by a toon hating ref.
Upon retirement, after a brief flirtation with management, became a reporter for the News of the World and in 1967 he was awarded a testimonial by the club. As modest as ever he worried that ten years after leaving the club, no-one would remember him. In the event 50,000 turned out packing St James’ park to the rafters.
Among a certain age group Milburn stories abound on Tyneside, all of them portray him as a wonderful man and footballer, there is not time here to relate all of them, so I will just repeat my favorite.
The story goes; Milburn met Cardinal Basil Hume, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and a huge Newcastle United supporter. Both unassuming men, they were in awe of each other. After a conversation, the talk moved on and one suggested an autograph would be a good idea. The other agreed. Both men stood back and expected to be the recipient of the autograph, without realising the other man wanted their autograph in return.
At the tragically young age of 64 Wor Jackie passed away from lung cancer. At his funeral held in Newcastle 30,000 turned out to say goodbye to a man that was for me the best no9 ever.
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Just wish we could have the Cup success now
But me bing me got occupied doing somenthing else and sent it to carys late, so I quickly had to alter the opening paragraph.
Anyway I digresss, my point is this, we seem to produce a great centre forward about once every genration, Gallahger, Milburn Shearer.
What if Judas was this generations?
We have missed out on so much talent but the best of the local lads I have saw that has played for the club is Gazza by a distance
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