Born: 21 February 1917

Born in: Methil, Fife

Died: 1989

Other clubs: Hearts Of Beath (1933-34)

Signed from: Hearts Of Beath

Joined Liverpool: 04.04.1934

Debut: 28 Sep 1935

Final appearance: 17 Apr 1948

Contract until: 1948

Honours: League Championship 1946/47

Wartime: Apps / Goals: 62 / 3

League: Apps / Goals: 115 / 0

All Competitions: Apps / Goals: 131 / 0

Player Profile

Scotsman "Big Jim" Harley was one of the toughest customers who have played for Liverpool Football Club. The natural left-back, who could play on either side, established himself in the side in the 1937/38 season after being on the fringes of the first team for a couple of seasons, only being 17 when he signed for the club. As with all too many players his professional career was cut short by World War II. During wartime he won Scotland international honours and the Royal Navy commando was also decorated for his role at Dunkirk after operating on a destroyer that made repeated trips across the Channel, bringing soldiers in the armed forces home while under fire from German planes. When the League resumed after the war, Harley made 17 appearances as a member of the 1946/47 squad that secured the club's fifth First Division Championship. But he had passed his thirtieth birthday during that season and would only be selected on another 21 occasions in his eighth and final year at Anfield.

Harley was a great sprinter and at 18 years of age won the famous Powderhall Handicap, a New Year sprint in Scotland which has been around since 1870. He competed under the pseudonym "J H Mitchell" so Liverpool would not find out about this extracurricular activity. The Liverpool Echo wrote: "Besides a Charles Buchan chest and shoulders he had the strong, but slim undercarriage of the sprinter. Woe betide the speeding winger who thought he could make a race of it and take the ball, Harley took both." Former Reds goalkeeper Charlie Ashcroft told historian Gary Shaw that Harley was one of a kind. “Charlie revealed that Harley would often come into training covered in cuts and bruises on his face and knuckles," Gary said. "He’d been out fighting the night before but not just with one man. That was a waste of time for Harley who’d prefer to take on two, three or even four at a time. He got arrested for brawling on a number of occasions, which the club took steps to cover up. Apparently there were few harder than Harley. He was fearless.”