The Thistle Archive

A stalwart of Annbank during the 1890s and beyond, James had a few attempts to make it in the senior game, all of which lasted a few months before he invariably headed home to Ayrshire each time. He was at the heart of a classic season in in 1892-93 during which Annbank completed the treble of League, Ayrshire Cup and Kilmarnock Charity Cup. Following this, the centre-forward got a big move to Liverpool, as reported in the Mercury (28/8/1893): “The committee have secured James Henderson, from Annbank, who has an excellent local reputation, and who created a favourable impression at the practice on Friday evening. He is one the small side, certainly, but has much resource.”

As it turned out, James featured only once for Liverpool but what a landmark fixture it was - the club's first-ever match in the Football League! 1,500 were at the Paradise Ground to see it; Middlesbrough Ironopolis 0 Liverpool 2. 'Pool would win the league with 22 wins in 28 games and victory over Newton Heath in the "test match" secured promotion to the First Division at the first time of asking. James played no part in it though, returning to Annbank before Christmas. The Liverpool historians reckon that James had spells at Broxburn Athletic and Edinburgh Thistle around this time, although I've yet to find contemporary reports or dates. James had a second go at the senior game when he switched from Annbank to Second Division Ayr in the summer of 1897, but after just one league appearance and a single Scottish Qualifying Cup match it was decided that a move back to Annbank was best for both parties, and this was ratified by the SFA in January 1898.

Although he was in the veteran stage of his footballing career, James made a third senior move in August 1900 when he signed for Partick Thistle. The Jags (or the Wasps as some were calling them due to the new black & mustard hoops) were back in the top-flight and looking to stay there by way of the cheque book, with a whole new teamsworth of signings. James was a strange one though, pushing 30 and never having made it big anywhere. To describe him as ex-Liverpool in the papers of the time was a tad disingenuous. All the same, James and Thistle got off to a good start at Celtic Park on the opening night of the League campaign. A fine point was gained after a 3-3 thriller, and it was a most encouraging opener. However, as the season unfolded, Thistle and their expensive new team found the going tougher and tougher. James featured on 'Flag Day' at Meadowside a few days after the Celtic game, but the 1-2 loss to Kilmarnock was anticlimactic. A 2-5 loss at St Mirren underlined how tough the league campaign was going to be, and that was the third and last competitive game for James as a Jag and he returned to Annbank at the turn of the year.