A new book details the footballer’s Ashington upbringing, his shyness and the work ethic that set him apartOf all the footballers who have worn the black and white, that possessive geordie pronoun “Wor” (our) was unique to Jackie Milburn; for he was a man of the people as much as he was a great sportsman. In that respect, his birthplace of Ashington in Northumberland only added to the mythology.“The biggest pit village in the world,” as it was known, was the north-east in microcosm – a one-horse coal town where miles of identical terraced houses spread out from the pitheads and the menfolk were obsessed by whippets, leeks, association football and pints in the club. Nevertheless, he had a self-discipline that saw the pitfalls of alcohol: “Certainly it prevented my dad, Alec Milburn, from making the big time,” Jackie recalled. “He could have gone to Tottenham but preferred to stay home and drink his ale.” Continue reading...
Liverpool have confirmed a series of tributes that will take place to honour club legend Kevin Keegan, who died at the age of 75 last month. After completing a move from Scunthorpe United in 1971, Keegan won three league titles, the European Cup, two Uefa Cups and the FA Cup during a trophy-laden six years at Anfield. In a club statement, Liverpool confirmed they are in communication with Newcastle United "regarding special tributes" before their Premier League season opener on 23 August.
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
