Jimmy Jackson (footballer, born 1875)

Footballer (1875–?)

Jimmy Jackson

Jackson in 1897

Personal information
Full name|  James Jackson[1]
Date of birth|  (1875-09-15)15 September 1875
Place of birth|  Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Position(s)|

* Wing-half
* Full-back

Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1889–1891|  Hamilton Athletic[a]|  |
1891–1892|  Adamstown Rosebud|  |
|  Newton Thistle|  |
|  Cambuslang|  |
1896–1897|  Rangers|  1|  (0)
1897–1899|  Newcastle United|  58|  (0)
1899–1905|  Woolwich Arsenal|  183|  (0)
1905|  Leyton|  |
1905–1906|  West Ham United|  24|  (0)
1906–1908|  Rangers|  30|  (0)
1908–1910|  Port Glasgow Athletic|  53|  (1)
1910|  Hamilton Academical|  8|  (0)
1910–1911|  Morton|  22|  (0)
1911–1915|  Abercorn|  62|  (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Jackson (15 September 1875 – after 1914) was a footballer who played as a full back or at wing half.

Jackson's family emigrated from Scotland to Australia where he was raised and where he began his senior football career while still in his early teens. Australian football was still forming and Jackson played for teams from mining areas such as South New Lambton, before being recorded as playing for both Hamilton and Adamstown Rosebud. He returned to Scotland in 1893, appearing in Junior football and briefly for Rangers before moving to England to join Newcastle United. Two years later he signed for Woolwich Arsenal where he spent six seasons, captaining the club in its inaugural season in the Football League First Division. After a short spell as player-manager of Leyton and five months with West Ham United of the Southern League, he rejoined Rangers for two seasons. He ended his career with spells at four more Scottish League clubs: Port Glasgow Athletic, Hamilton Academical, Morton and Abercorn.

## Life and career[edit]

Jackson was born in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland, but his family emigrated to Australia when he was two.[2] The young Jackson grew up in New South Wales and played football as a youth. He is believed to be the youngest player to have appeared in senior football in that country, having played for Hamilton Athletic in 1889 at the age of 13 years 7 months.[3] He remained with Hamilton for the 1890 season,[4] then in 1891 he moved on to Adamstown Rosebud.[5][6]

Jackson returned to Scotland in 1893.[7] He played Junior football for Newton Thistle and Cambuslang,[1] and then signed for Rangers in 1896,[8] but appeared only once in their Scottish League team.[9]

He was sold to Newcastle United in May 1897,[10] and played for the Magpies for two seasons, helping them achieve promotion to the Football League First Division in 1897–98.[7]

In 1899 he joined Woolwich Arsenal, attracted by the club's willingness to help him open a sports shop.[11][12] He made his debut against Leicester Fosse on 2 September 1899, and for the next six seasons he was a regular at the club, playing either at left back or wing half. He was a virtual ever-present in the Gunners' 1903–04 promotion-winning season, and captained the club in its inaugural First Division campaign. In all he played 204 League and FA Cup matches for Arsenal, scoring one goal.[12][13] He came closest to international recognition while with Arsenal, playing in the March 1905 edition of the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots annual trial match.[9][14]

Jackson left Arsenal in 1905 to become player-manager of Leyton, newly admitted to the Southern League, but his spell was brief.[7][15] In November of that year he signed for West Ham United, for whom he was ever-present for the rest of their 1905–06 Southern League season,[16] before rejoining Rangers in 1906.

He played in 30 League matches over two seasons at Rangers,[b] before signing for another First Division club, Port Glasgow Athletic, at the start of the 1908–09 season.[20] In January 1910, Jackson refused to play in a Scottish Cup tie because he was claimed he was owed considerable arrears of wages, of some £21; the club duly fined him £20 and suspended him to the end of the season. The Scottish Football Association ruled in Jackson's favour as to wages due up until his refusal to play, but confirmed the club fine.[21] He joined Hamilton Academical for what remained of the season.[9][22]

In May 1910, he signed for Greenock Morton,[23] for whom he played in 22 of their 34 First Division matches. Early in the following season, he signed for Division Two club Abercorn, and remained with the Paisley club until 1914–15.[9][24]

## Personal life[edit]

Jackson's was a sporting family. He had two sons who became footballers: the elder, James, played more than 200 times for Liverpool before being ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church;[25] the younger, Archie, played for Sunderland and Tranmere Rovers.[7] His brother Andrew (20 years older) was capped for Scotland in the 1880s; Andrew's son Andy played for Middlesbrough before being killed in World War I.[26] Jimmy's nephew was the Australian test cricketer Archie Jackson.[7][27]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Many sources incorrectly list the Scottish club Hamilton Academical rather than the Australian Hamilton Athletic before Adamstown Rosebud.
2. ^ The Fitbastats website mistakenly attributes to Jackson two Scottish League appearances at outside left for Rangers after he left the club.[17] On the dates of the matches concerned, the same site correctly shows Jackson playing for Port Glasgow Athletic.[18] Those matches were played by another James Jackson, an outside left who signed for Rangers on amateur forms from Dundee in May 1908.[19]

## References[edit]

* For infobox statistics: "James Jackson (Jimmy Jackson) @ PlayUpLiverpool.com". PlayUpLiverpool.com. Kjell Hanssen. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

1. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 136\. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
2. ^ "Jimmy, Alex, Archie and The Parson". Scots Football Worldwide. Iain Campbell Whittle. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
3. ^ "Australian Player Database: J". OzFootball. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
4. ^ "Football. Hamilton Athletics v. Rosebuds". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 23 July 1890. p. 3.
5. ^ Hamonent, Allyn, ed. (1989). 100 Years of Football History 1889 to 1989 – a pictorial history of Adamstown Rosebud. Adamstown Rosebud FC, cited at "Our First 100 Years: Let the games begin and Our earliest results". Adamstown Rosebud FC. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
6. ^ "British Association Rules". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 18 May 1891. p. 3.
7. ^ a b c d e Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who. London: Independent UK Sports. p. 30\. ISBN 978-1-899429-03-5.
8. ^ "Partick Thistle v. Rangers". Edinburgh Evening News. 12 May 1896. p. 5\. "The Rangers played another recruit at centre half--Jackson, of Newton Thistle."
9. ^ a b c d John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
10. ^ "Football". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 4 May 1897. p. 3\. "James Jackson, at present playing half-back for Glasgow Rangers, was signed on yesterday for Newcastle United, while on Saturday R. Allan, Dundee, late Preston North End, attached his signature for the United for next season."
11. ^ Myerson, George (2014). Fighting for Football: From Woolwich Arsenal to the Western Front. Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1781314197.
12. ^ a b "Jimmy Jackson". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
13. ^ Kelly, Andy. "Arsenal first team line-ups". The Arsenal History. Retrieved 3 November 2017. Select season required.
14. ^ Football. | Anglo-Scots Trial Match., The Glasgow Herald, 21 March 1905
15. ^ "Leyton". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
16. ^ "James Jackson". WestHamStats.info. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
17. ^ "Rangers player James Jackson". Fitbastats. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
18. ^ "Port Glasgow Athletic player James Jackson, games played". Fitbastats. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
19. ^ "Dundee footballer for Ibrox". The Courier. Dundee. 22 May 1908. p. 6\. "James Jackson, the Dundee left winger, who played several occasions for the League team, has consented to play as an amateur for Rangers next season."
20. ^ "Port-Glasgow captures". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 21 August 1908. p. 5\. "Port-Glasgow are bent on getting up a good side and doing better than against Rangers in subsequent matches, and have secured the transfer of James Jackson, the Rangers' stalwart back. He is equally at home at right or left back or centre-half."
21. ^ "Scottish Football Association. Committee minutes". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 23 February 1910. p. 12.
22. ^ "Scotland's chances". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 25 February 1910. p. 5\. "Hamilton Academicals have secured the transfer of Jackson, the Port-Glasgow Athletic back, and Spiers, the outside right forward of the club, is likely to follow suit."
23. ^ "Dundee obtain three names". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 4 May 1910. p. 5\. "Greenock Morton have signed James Jackson, the right back of Hamilton who was engaged by the Lanarkshire club from Port-Glasgow during last season. Jackson was at one time with the Rangers, and had considerable experience in England."
24. ^ "Fixing up football teams". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 13 May 1914. p. 5\. "James Jackson, one of the oldest players in League football, has once again signed for Abercorn, with which club he has already served three seasons."
25. ^ "Player profile: James Jackson". lfchistory.net. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
26. ^ Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.
27. ^ Oswald, Nick (1 February 2004). "Forgotten genius". The Sunday Times. London. p. 24.

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals