All Time Swansea XI - Left Back - Wilfred Milne

Signed for "the price of a fish supper and a cup of tea", defender remains the club's record league appearance holder

Wilf Milne (photos courtesy of
A Touch Far Vetched)

While few (if any) Swansea fans will be able to recall seeing Milne in his heyday, remaining first choice in any position for sixteen seasons is quite a feat. Information on him is scarce, but here goes. 

Born in March 1899 (Yes, that's right, 1899), in Hebburn (a small town on the Tyne), Milne was playing for a local junior side called Walker Celtic when Swansea came calling. He signed in May 1920, and apparently the Swans beat off competition from Manchester United and West Ham to secure his signature. I can't find anything to substantiate that, it's purely Wiki. Believe it if you choose!

Milne played, or didn't play (depending if you trust Wikipedia or a Swans A-Z I bought years ago) in the Swans first ever League match, a 3-0 away loss to Portsmouth on the 28th of August 1920, and went on to remain in the team for the foreseeable future. In fact, in thirteen of the next sixteen seasons Milne would play over thirty games - quite the effort. Milne was part of the Swansea side which won the Third Division (South) title in 1924/25, and was also present when the Swans beat Arsenal in the sixth round of the FA Cup in March 1926, before losing to Bolton Wanderers in the Semi-Final (who would go on to lift the trophy).

In the 1930/31 season, Milne would actually remain ever-present throughout the season, which would have seen him held in high esteem when another legendary Swans figure joined the team from Newport. Cyril Pearce joined the next year and proceeded to score 35 goals that season - which remains a record to this day (despite Walter Boyd's comical attempts to beat it).

Len Thompson opens the scoring for Swansea in the famous FA Cup tie
of 1926. Milne was playing in that match though whether he's in the
photo I cannot say.

Milne was apparently famed for his sliding tackle, but it wasn't until his 501st game for the club that he got his first goal - and even then it was a penalty! As it turned out, he opened the floodgates (or, rather, starting letting a trickle of water out) as he proceeded to score another six in his last 156 games - quite the improved strike-rate I'm sure you'll agree...

He did score one crucial goal though - at the tail end of the 1933/34 season. With Pearce having departed for Charlton things were altogether quite different, and the Swans found themselves struggling at the foot of the league. It all came down to the final match of the season, and Milne coolly slotted home a penalty which, if he'd have missed, would have seen them relegated 

In the 1936/37 season, Milne found himself in a rather unfamiliar position. After travelling with the squad to Leicester City away, Milne - in his 17th season with the club - had to play in goal due to regular keeper Stan Moore suffering with a swollen knee. As it turned out, Milne kept a more than credible clean sheet, which actually saw him keep his place between the sticks for the next match against Nottingham Forest. The Swans lost that one 6-1, so I think it's safe to say it didn't go too well.

Milne was released by the Swans aged 38 after making 657 first team appearances (585 in the league) scoring a total of seven goals, and very few have come anywhere near that mark since. Roger Freestone has gone close, and could end up finishing somewhere near 500, but that kind of longevity is very hard to replicate these days for an outfield player. 

That being said, the Swans have just had a tasty left-back come through in the form of Ben Davies, and he's got a long career ahead of him...Ben Davies - the new Wilf Milne? We'll just have to wait and see...