James Purvis Grieve (19 January 1908 – 1995) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who scored 13 goals from 29 appearances in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

playing as a

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

for

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

in the 1930s. He joined Darlington from

non-league Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

club

Wallsend Wallsend () is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of ...

, and went on to play non-league football for

Annfield Plain Annfield Plain is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of Stanley, to the north-east, and Consett, to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain had a population of 3,569. By the tim ...

Life and career

James Purvis Grieve was born on 19 January 1908 in

Walkergate Walkergate is an area and electoral ward in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it cov ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. He played football for

North-Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although som ...

club

before joining

of the

Football League Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated t ...

in 1931. He played for Darlington's reserve team in the North-Eastern League before making his

debut on 24 October 1931 away to

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

, standing in for the injured

Maurice Wellock Maurice Wellock (15 June 1902 – 1967) was an English professional footballer who scored 111 goals from 278 appearances in the Football League. Life and career Wellock was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he attended Drummond Road School. In ...

. Darlington won 2–0, Grieve scored both goals, and he caught the eye of the

Lancashire Evening Post The ''Lancashire Post'' is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. Until 14 January 2017 it was known as the ''Lancashire Evening Post''. According to the British Library The British Library ...

by his "pushfulness and sense of leadership". Wellock resumed his place after two matches out, but when Grieve was brought in for an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

tie against Carlisle in December, this time alongside Wellock, who moved to

inside right In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

to accommodate Grieve at

, he scored again, and scored another in the next league match. In the second half of the season Grieve took over as first choice at centre forward, and contributed a further ten goals from 20 matches, including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 6–3 win against local rivals Hartlepools United in which "Wellock, Grieve, and

Coates Coates may refer to: People *Coates (surname) Places United Kingdom *Coates, Cambridgeshire *Coates, Gloucestershire * Coates, Lancashire * Coates, Nottinghamshire *Coates, West Sussex *Coates by Stow, in Lincolnshire *Coates Castle, a Grade ...

shot at every conceivable opportunity, on the half turn, the volley, the half-volley, and on occasions when their backs were turned to the goal". Darlington finished 11th in the table. He accepted terms for a second season, but an attempt to convert him to

outside left In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

was unsuccessful: he played little and without scoring, and was given a free transfer. He then returned to North-Eastern League football with

, where he flourished. In November 1934, he turned down an offer from the FA Cup-holders,

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, preferring to keep his job in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

with the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after London, Midland and Scottish Railway, LMS) of the "Big Four (British railway companies), Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It ope ...

(LNER), and he stayed with Annfield Plain until 1939. The

1939 Register The National Registration Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 91) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War. The ac ...

shows the unmarried Grieve working as a labourer for the LNER and living in Shields Road, Newcastle, with his parents and four younger siblings. His death at the age of 87 was registered in Newcastle in June 1995.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grieve, James 1908 births 1995 deaths Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Wallsend F.C. players Darlington F.C. players Annfield Plain F.C. players English Football League players Date of death missing 20th-century English sportsmen