Alfred George Abraham Miller (25 March 1917 – 2 August 1999), also known as Dusty Miller, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

who played as a wing half in the Football League for Southport and

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

. Miller began his career with his hometown club Portsmouth but never appeared for the first-team. He ventured into

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

before being handed another opportunity in the Football League by Bristol Rovers. Again, he failed to break into the first-team, but a move to Southport saw him make his professional debut in 1937. Two years with Southport amounted to 32 appearances and a move to

, but World War II broke out before Miller could make any appearances for the club. Miller spent the war years making guest appearances for Aldershot, and finally made his debut for Plymouth in 1946. After injury interrupted his return, he made a move to Colchester United in 1948, where he played just twice before becoming a member of the club's coaching staff. He was briefly

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...

with Claude Orrin in early 1955.

Career

Born in Portsmouth, Miller was on the books of his hometown club Portsmouth as late as 1935, but after failing to break through into the first-team, he moved into

with Ryde Sports. He later made appearances for Margate before Bristol Rovers signed him in 1936. After again failing to make a breakthrough, Miller was on the move, this time to Southport ahead of the 1937–38 season. He scored two goals in 32 appearances for the club. Miller was signed by

in 1939, but with the outbreak of World War II he had to wait until 1946 to get his first taste of first-team football with Plymouth. Because Plymouth did not play football during the war years, Miller made guest appearances for Aldershot, playing approximately 25 times between 1942 and 1945. Once the war was over, Miller was named

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Argyle and made his long-awaited debut in a 3–1 win against West Ham United on 31 August 1946. He played the first eight games of the season, but injury ruled him out of the remainder of the campaign. He made just one appearance in 1947–48 and was released at the end of the season. With injury limiting his playing time, Miller made just two appearances for his next club, Colchester United, both games within three days of one another in September 1948. Colchester kept Miller on at the end of the season as a

, replacing the outgoing Jack Kearton. Miller and club secretary Claude Orrin took charge of first-team affairs in January 1955 after Jack Butler had tendered his resignation after suffering ill health. The pair were in charge until a new

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

was appointed in

Benny Fenton Benjamin Robert Vincent Fenton (28 October 1918 – 29 July 2000) was an English professional association football, football player and manager. He played for West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Millwall F.C., Millwall, Charlton Athletic F.C. ...

in March. After leaving the game, Miller returned to his native Portsmouth, going into the grocery business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Alf 1917 births 1999 deaths Footballers from Portsmouth Men's association football wing halves English men's footballers Portsmouth F.C. players Ryde Sports F.C. players Margate F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Southport F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Aldershot F.C. wartime guest players Colchester United F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Colchester United F.C. managers English Football League managers English football managers