The Knowledge | The Spur who played in Brentford's first-ever league game - then managed Valencia!

Jim Elliott gave nine years of service to Spurs spanning the First World War years before joining Brentford in 1920 - part of a footballing journey that also took him to Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Born in Essex in 1891 James E Elliott played as an amateur for South Weald and Peterborough City prior to joining us in October, 1911. He netted twice in five outings that season and by the time the Football League shut down due to WW1 in 1915, he had notched three goals in a dozen games.

Most of his 136 senior appearances for us came during the Great War, 1914-1918 and his five goals in 123 wartime appearances - a total only exceeded by Charlie Rance - were followed by a single appearance in our Second Division title winning campaign of 1919/20.

In April, 1920 he was awarded a benefit by the club, along with Jabez Darnell, the proceeds of a London Combination fixture against Arsenal being split between the two men.

Elliott moved to Brentford and played in the Bees' first-ever Football League game, a 3-0 defeat at Exeter City in the old Division Three on 28 August, 1920. He went on to make 65 league appearances, scoring twice, in his first two seasons at Griffin Park.

In September, 1922 he took over the local Royal Hotel public house and continued to turn out for the Bees’ reserve team. In August, 1927 he was appointed coach to the Spanish club Valencia and by 1933 was reported to be a frequent visitor to Spurs games as coach to a team from Stockholm. It is believed that he passed away in Turkey in 1939 during his time coaching Fenerbahce.