James Conlin

James Conlin (6 July 1881 – 23 June 1917) was an English footballer who played as a left-sided winger.

Although born in England he spent most of his life in Scotland. He played club football for Falkirk, Albion Rovers, Bradford City, Manchester City, Birmingham and Airdrieonians between 1899 and 1913.

Early football career Conlin was a "fast and tricky" player; only 5 ft 5 inches tall, he could cross balls for the centre forwards as well as score goals himself. He began his football career playing in the Lanarkshire North Western Junior Football League with Captain Colt's Rovers. Cambuslang Hibernian. a game which his new team lost 6–3. In his two seasons playing at Falkirk – who were at the time playing in both the Central Football Combination and the supplemental Falkirk District Football League – Conlin scored seven goals in 17 combined league appearances, and eleven goals in 25 appearances in all competitions.

On 14 March 1901, Conlin transferred from Falkirk to Albion Rovers (his hometown club, who played in the Scottish Football Combination League), at which point his career and national notoriety as a highly talented left winger began to take off. Rovers also reached the now defunct Lanarkshire Cup Final on 15 March 1902, but lost this derby game 0–3 to Hamilton Academical. when Scotland beat England 2–1 in Glasgow in front of a 102,741 crowd, which set a world record for an international match attendance.

Another of the more notable events in Conlin's career occurred during his time at Valley Parade. He was at the centre of an infamous incident involving Manchester United's right full back, Bob Bonthron, in a 1–5 home defeat played on 10 February 1906 during the latter club's promotion season. Both players had a reputation as being combative players; Conlin was tricky and feisty and Bonthron strong and burly, and they repeatedly clashed during the game. Bonthron's continual rough treatment of Conlin enraged the home crowd, with the result that after the game he was attacked by some of the home supporters and the United team was pelted with missiles as they left the stadium. This incident made national news headlines. Criminal charges followed against the perpetrators, and a subsequent F.A. inquiry resulted in the temporary closure of Bradford City's Valley Parade ground for the first two weeks of March 1906.

Manchester City On 13 July 1906, Manchester City paid £1,000 to secure Conlin's services, which was only the second time in the game's history that such a large transfer fee had been paid. In Conlin's first season playing for Manchester City, the club finished 17th in the First Division. and a total of 30 goals in 175 appearances in all competitions, Conlin signed next for Birmingham on 29 September 1911.

Final years and death His stay at St Andrew's was plagued by injury and he only made 23 appearances for the Second Division club, scoring twice. On 30 July 1912, Conlin moved on again for a transfer fee of £150, this time returning to Lanarkshire where he was raised to play for Airdrieonians in the Scottish League Division One. This move wasn't all that he might have hoped for, and on 7 October he was fined £2 10s for failing to turn up for a game.

Conlin's off-field issues resurfaced and he failed to turn up for several training sessions. On 4 February 1913, after admitting to having a drinking problem, he was fined again and severely warned about his behaviour. This appears to have had little effect, because on 15 April 1913 Conlin was suspended sine die and transfer-listed by the club. On 13 August 1913 Conlin made his final club transfer, joining Broxburn United who had finished bottom of the Central Football League in the previous season.

At the outbreak of the Great War, Conlin enlisted in Coatbridge with the Highland Light Infantry, serving in the 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Glasgow). During June 1917 this battalion was transferred to the Nieuport sector on the Belgium coast in readiness to support the British offensive at the Third Battle of Ypres (also known as Passchendaele). This is where Private Conlin (26447) died, leaving behind a wife and two small children. He was killed in action on 23 June 1917 prior to the Third Battle of Ypres. He has no known remains or grave, his death being commemorated instead on the Nieuport Memorial, Arrondissement Veurne, West-Vlaanderen.