Jimmy Wardhaugh

Football player infobox
playername = Jimmy Wardhaugh
fullname = James Wardhaugh
dateofbirth = birth date|1929|3|21
cityofbirth = Marshall Meadows
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1978|1|2|1929|3|21
cityofdeath = Edinburgh
countryofdeath = Scotland
nickanme = Twinkletoes
height = height|ft=5|in=9
currentclub =
position = Inside Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Shaftesbury Park
years = 1946-1959
1959-1961
clubs = Hearts
Dunfermline
caps(goals) = 304 (206)
nationalyears = 1954-1956
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 002 00(0)

Jimmy Wardhaugh (21 March 1929 – 2 January 1978) was a Scottish professional footballer, most fondly remembered as part of the "Terrible Trio" Heart of Midlothian forward line of the 1950s, alongside Willie Bauld and Alfie Conn. He was also the club's record League goal-scorer for almost 40 years, until his tally of 206 was surpassed by John Robertson in 1997. [http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/players/aaplayersbygoals.html Hearts record goalscorers] ]

Career

Born in the small Northumbrian hamlet of Marshall Meadows, just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed and less than a mile from the Scottish border, Wardhaugh was raised in Edinburgh and began his career with Hearts in 1946.cite book | last = Scott | first = Brian | title = The Terrible Trio| format = Paperback| year = 1990 | publisher = Sportsprint| id = ISBN 0-85976-306-4|pages=24] He played regularly in his first year at Tynecastle but missed much of the following 1947-48 season while undertaking his National Service in Worcestershire.cite book | last = Hoggan | first = Andrew | title = Hearts in Art | format = Hardback | year = 1995 | publisher = Mainstream | id = ISBN 1-85158-736-5|pages=189]

On 9 October 1948, after a mediocre start to the 1948-49 season Hearts' manager Davie McLean combined Wardhaugh with two fellow young forwards, Willie Bauld and Alfie Conn, for the first time.Scott, "The Terrible Trio", 10-11] The combination of Wardhaugh's dazzling dribbling and non-stop running, Bauld's cerebral play and prodigious aerial ability, and Conn's energetic, tenacious style and powerful shooting perfectly complemented each other,Scott, "The Terrible Trio", 101-103] and their first match as a forward combination ended in a 6-1 defeat of East Fife. This was especially notable as the same opposition had defeated the "Maroons" 4-0 a matter of weeks earlier.

Quickly dubbed the "Terrible Trio", they continued to score freely in the following 4 seasons, with Wardhaugh notching 77 goals, as Hearts became regular top 4 finishers, although defensive inconsistency ensured they failed to collect any silverware. During this period, Wardhaugh was subject of a £26,000 bid from Newcastle United in 1952, which was accepted by Hearts. He was unable to agree terms with the Tyneside club though, and the deal fell through.

In 1953-54, Wardhaugh became the A Division's top scorer with 27 goals as Hearts appeared set to win the League championship. A stuttering end to their season saw Celtic overtake them by the season's end but Wardhaugh would earn his first winner's medal later that calendar year. He scored seven times during Hearts progress to the League Cup final in October 1954, including home and away goals against Celtic in the initial group stage. In the Hampden showpiece, he scored the third goal as Motherwell were defeated 4-2,Scott, "The Terrible Trio", 44] ending the Edinburgh side's 48-year wait for a major trophy.

The following season, 1955-56, Wardhaugh was again the League's leading scorer with 28 goals, although Hearts were not close to challenging Rangers for the title. Instead they focused upon the Scottish Cup and Wardhaugh was part of the side which won Scottish football's "Blue Riband" event with a 3-1 defeat of Celtic in the final.

By 1957, age and injuries had become an increasing problem for Conn and Bauld, and increasingly Wardhaugh found himself part of a new "trio", alongside young Scotland internationals Jimmy Murray and Alex Young.Scott, "The Terrible Trio", 70] The new combination helped Hearts to the 1957-58 League Championship, with a record 132 goals scored in 34 games. For a third time, Wardhaugh was the League's top marksman, although he shared this honour with team-mate Murray, the pair both scoring 28 times.

Although Wardhaugh was part of the side that won the 1958-59 League Cup, he too was by this stage becoming a fringe player. Speculation linked him with a move to Hearts' city rivals HibernianScott, "The Terrible Trio", 88] but eventually it was Dunfermline Athletic he joined, for a fee of £2,000 in 1959. He left Hearts having scored 375 goals for the side, and a record League total of 206, which was only surpassed by John Robertson 38 years later.

International selection

Wardhaugh was selected twice for the Scottish national side, making his debut against the famous Hungarian side of the early 1950s in 1954 and also playing against Northern Ireland in 1956. His selection could be viewed as controversial as, despite his Scottish parentage and sense of identity, he was born in England, at a time when the home football associations had strict eligibility restrictions for their national sides. Other "Scots" such as Joe Baker and Gordon Marshall were obliged to seek selection for the English national team due to their place of birth. However, for footballing purposes the Scottish Football Association and the Football Association considered their shared boundary to be the River Tweed, allowing Wardhaugh to represent Scotland. His case was helped by the fact that Berwick Rangers, based to the south of his Marshall Meadows birthplace, had competed in Scottish League structure since 1905.

Post-retirement

Wardhaugh retired in 1961 and started a new career in sports journalism. He possessed a keen interest in sports generally and his writing was not limited to football coverage. His first role was with the Edinburgh Evening News, where he developed a particular enthusiasm for ice hockey and was responsible for the paper's coverage of the local Murrayfield Racers. Later he worked for the Scottish Daily Express as well as editing Hearts' official matchday programme.

In the 1970s he worked as a publicity officer for the BBC while continuing to cover live sport events. It was after one such occasion, a match between East Fife and Hearts on January 2 1978, that he died, collapsing on his way back to his Edinburgh home. His death came less than a year after that of his friend and "Terrible Trio" team-mate Bauld.

Honours

* Scottish League|1|1957-58
* Scottish Cup|1|1957-58
* League Cup|2|1954-55, 1958-59

References

External links

* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/players/wardhaughjimmy.html Appearances] at londonhearts.com

Persondata
NAME=Wardhaugh, Jimmy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Wardhaugh, James
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Anglo-Scottish footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=March 21, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH=Marshall Meadows, Northumberland, England
DATE OF DEATH=January 2, 1978
PLACE OF DEATH=Edinburgh, Scotland