Pal's tribute as Tynecastle club mourns keeper Brown

DAVID HARDIE
HEARTS were today mourning the death of former Tynecastle goalkeeper Jimmy Brown at the age of 83.
Fife-born Brown, although only 5ft 9in tall, came to the attention of senior clubs keeping goal for the Wemyss Schoolboy XI that reached the final of the Secondary School Cup and he signed for Hearts in the summer of 1942 from Bayview Youth Club.

He went on to make more than 350 appearances for the Gorgie outfit despite, for most of his time with the club being part-time as he worked as an electrician in the coal mines.

His talent was recognised in 1949 when he was part of the Scotland squad which toured Canada and the United States, a trip which helped form a firm friendship with Lawrie Reilly of Capital rivals Hibs.

Today 80-year-old Reilly paid his own tribute, recalling Brown's "chunky thighs" and his trademark flashy coloured tops and baseball caps. Reilly, who was one of the first to hear of Brown's death at his Cellardyke home, said: "Today people think, because one played for Hearts and the other for Hibs, that you must have been enemies.

"But many of the players were firm friends. Jimmy and I played golf together – he always paid his dues when I beat him at Baberton – but he was a great Jambo, a super goalkeeper and a hell of nice lad."

A shoulder injury which continued to trouble him ended Brown's Tynecastle career although he went on to play many times for Kilmarnock, helping the Rugby Park side to promotion in season 1953/54 and appearing in the finals of both the Scottish and League Cup finals before joining St Mirren, East Fife, Stranraer, Falkirk and Canadian side Polish White Eagles,

A Hearts spokesman today said: "Jimmy was a great servant to Hearts. He is fondly remembered by the older generation of our supporters and our condolences go to his family at this sad time."

Taken from the Scotsman