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Joe Miller

Name: Joseph Miller
Born: 27 April 1899, Coleraine
Died:
Height:
Weight:
Position: Right-Half

Representative Honours: Ireland: 3 Full Caps (1929).
Club Honours: (with Middlesbrough) Football League Division Two Champion 1926/27, 1928/29.

Club Career:
Clubs
Seasons
Signed
Fee
League
FA Cup
Other
Largs Athletic
-
-
Morton
20/21-22/23
-
12/3
Arthurlie
-
-
Loan
Johnstone
23/24-24/25
Aug-23
Aberdare Athletic
25/26
Jun-25
37/4
3/0
Middlesbrough
26/27-29/30
Aug-26
140/0
13/0
Dolphin
30/31
Oct-30
Hibernian
30/31
Nov-30
18/0
4/0
Bournemouth & Bosc. Ath.
31/32-33/34
Nov-31
75/0
5/0
1/0
Ballymena United
34/35
Jul-34
*27/0
Ross County
-
Jan-36
(Highland League)
Totals
309/7
25/0
1/0
* all games

Biography:
A footballing half-back, Joe Miller was famed for his reading of the game, his ability to intercept a pass and feed his forward line. He served a long apprenticeship in Scottish Junior football and lower down the Scottish League. He established himself with Aberdare Athletic, then playing in Division Three (South) of the Football League. Despite the Welsh club finishing bottom of the league and failing to gain re-election at the end of the 1926/27 season, Miller had done enough to convince Middlesbrough manager Herbert Bamlett of his worth.

Miller stepped into a Boro team ready to challenge for promotion to Division One and, although he put in some early unsteady performances, by the end of his first campaign at Ayresome Park he had missed just one game and claimed a Division Two championship medal. He retained his place throughout what was a disappointing campaign back in the top-flight as Boro finished bottom to suffer an immediate relegation. He showed great resilience to bounce back and was regarded as the lynchpin of the Middlesbrough side which claimed a second Division Two title in three seasons.

Finally, just short of his thirtieth birthday, Miller was awarded long overdue international recognition. He made his debut in a satisfactory 2-2 draw against Wales in February 1929, adding a second cap three weeks later. This time things were much more uncomfortable as the Irish half-back line was heavily criticised for its “weakness” in the face of a highly skilled Scottish forward-line, the Scots running out 7-3 winners at Windsor Park. Still Miller held onto his place for the next season’s opening international fixture, a 3-0 defeat by England, again at Windsor, in which Boro teammate George Camsell scored twice.

Back in Division One, Miller’s place was starting to come under pressure. He played just twenty times as mid-table security was achieved. By November 1930, having not featured in the first eleven all season, Miller was returned to Scotland to join Hibernian. Still he was far from finished. After suffering relegation with Hibs he joined Division Three (South) Bournemouth & Boscombe, where he played on until his mid-thirties. Miller then returned to Ireland where he offered his experience to the “new” Ballymena United.


Ireland Cap Details:
02-02-1929 Wales... A D 2-2 BC
23-02-1929 Scotland H L 3-7 BC
19-10-1929 England. H L 0-3 BC

Summary: 3/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 2.


Miller's career may also have taken in spells with Port Glasgow Athletic (prior to joining Morton) and Ards (prior to joining Bournemouth) though further corroboration is required.

Further details courtesy of Martin O'Connor. 
Photo in cap and kit courtesy of David Harris. 

Comments

Kenny Lowe said…
Hi,

I'm researching my ancestry and we had a Joe Miller of this era, married to a Sarah MacAteer. Could this be correct / same Joe Miller?
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kenny
Unknown said…
Joe Miller married my mother's cousin Sara Richmond whose grand parents were McAteers who came from Antrim to Port Glasgow in the 1870s. My mother informed me that Joe was at a Morton game when feeling unwell he went to his car and was found dead in the car outside Cappielow Park but if I was told the date I do not now know it. I have a photo of him wearing his first international cap.
Unknown said…
Further to my last....Sarah Richmond's mother was Agnes McAteer whose husband was William Richmond. They had thre daughters, Sarah, Madge and Mary. I knew Madge and Mary who are buried in Port Glasgoe Cemetary behind their uncle William McAteer. I think I did not know Sarah. I notice your surname...my mother had a relative Edwin Lowe who was a Minister of the Gospel is this a coincidence or are you related to Edwin ? I have tried to attach my photo of Joe but am unskilled in this sort of thing and have failed.
jcd said…
Thanks for your message.

Can you email me on jcd.nifg@gmail.com and can share the photo from there?
jcd said…
Kenny, if you wish to email me at jcd.nifg@gmail.com I can put you in touch with David
JC said…
Hi, my husband’s grandfather was Joe Miller, a football player born in Northern Ireland. The family lived in Port Glasgow and he had two daughters Agnes and Morag. Agnes’s middle name was McAteer. He died suddenly of a heart attack in his fifties I was told.
Anonymous said…
Hi
Joe Miller, the football player born in Northern Ireland was my husband’s grandfather. He had two daughters Agnes and Morag. He died suddenly I was told of a heart attack in his fifties.
Kenny Lowe said…
Joe had two daughters according to my family tree research, who were the same generation as my late father Edwin Lowe (Minister of the Gospel).
Thanks for all the notes so far - I'm piecing together a very large jig-saw.
If anyone want to contact me direct I'm at kenneth.lowe@ntlworld.com

Thank you,