One of seven brothers and a coal miner before he started football, Jimmy Brain had a long and varied career in the game - including being the first player to move from Arsenal to Tottenham.

Having played for Cardiff City in their Western League campaign while working down the mines, then he signed for noted Welsh side of the day Ton Pentre, before moving to Arsenal.  Brain was an out and out goal-scorer, hitting 39 in the 1924-25 season and 139 in total for the side from Woolwich, including the only goal of the game on his debut ... against Spurs !!  not that he knew much about it, as he was knocked out cold when Jock Rutherford's shot hit him in the face and went in.

Was once called up for the Welsh international squad, but had to withdraw when he told the selectors that he had been born in Bristol.  Once this was known to the FA, he was called up for a trial for the England team in 1926.  Came close to representing his country by scoring for The Rest against England in a trial match in February 1926, but was never selected for the national side.

He is Arsenal's fifth all-time goal-scorer (125 goals in 204 games) and became the first Gooner to reach 100 goals, but a loss of form led to them putting him into the reserves and then selling him to Tottenham.  Jimmy stayed for four years, played most of his first season in the first team, but was only used as a stop-gap when others were injured after Taffy O'Callaghan and Jack Greenfield were preferred to him and his total did not match that he achieved at Highbury.  He had led the team as captain by the end of his first season and went on to be reserve team player-coach alongside Cecil Poynton in 1933, bringing young players into the team.

Went on to manage on leaving Spurs in 1935 with King's Lynn and Cheltenham Town (playing for the Robins after pulling his boots back on) until 1948, when he retired from the game, although he did a bit of scouting for Arsenal.

Jimmy Brain died in 1971 in Barnet, North London.