Bruton Jack Image 2 Blackburn Rovers 1935

Description

Westhoughton, near Bolton, Lancashire born outside right Jack Bruton began his football career with Hindley Green in 1921 and spent time as an amateur on the books of Wigan Borough during 1922-23 and Bolton Wanderers in 1923-24 without making their first elevens before joining Lancashire Combination club Horwich RMI in 1924. First Division club Burnley signed him from Horwich for £125 in March 1925, Bruton making his Football League debut against Newcastle United that month, scoring in a 3-1 defeat at Turf Moor.

He was an ever present during Burnley’s 1926-27 campaign scoring 11 goals as Burnley finished fifth in the League Championship and missed only three matches in the following two seasons, making 176 appearances for The Clarets, scoring 44 goals over four and a half years at Turf Moor before Burnley sold him to Blackburn Rovers for £6,500 in December 1929.

While at Burnley he was awarded 3 England caps, being first capped in a 5-1 win against France in Paris in May 1928, his final cap coming in a 1-0 defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park nearly a year later. He also played twice for The Football League.

He scored 20 goals a season in each of his first two seasons at Rovers, and was either leading or joint leading goalscorer in both. During his time with the club he missed only one match in the four seasons between 1931-32 and 1934-35. He was an ever present in three out of four seasons between 1931-32 and 1934-35, missing only one match in 1933-34, and played for Blackburn throughout the 1930’s making a total of 344 appearances and scoring 115 goals before the outbreak of the The Second World War in September 1939 brought forward his retirement, having played his final match for Blackburn in August 1938. He was awarded a benefit match when Blackburn Rovers beat Celtic 1-0 at Ewood Park on Monday, 22nd April 1935. After the War had ended, Bruton remained with Blackburn, becoming the club’s assistant secretary.

On 10th December 1947, he stepped into the manager’s shoes, a position he held until his sacking in May 1949. On 14th March 1950, he became the manager at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, a position he held until March 1956. After retiring as a manager he continued as a scout for both Blackburn Rovers and Bournemouth and also for Portsmouth.