The Thistle Archive

Jimmy began in the juniors with his hometown team, Port Glasgow Athletic and, just as he was turning 21, he got his first senior deal with George Easton's Partick Thistle, early in 1925. When he got his chance he certainly made an impression, scoring in each of his first three games, netting four times in the process. The first two were friendlies, but his goal at Easter Road in September 1925 proved crucial in a 4-3 win, securing a big 2 league points for Thistle. He would settle as a half-back later in his career but Jimmy was mainly deployed in the inside left position during his 4 seasons as a Jag. He was a steady scorer, but really came to the boil in his final season. 22 competitive goals in 1927-28 placed him second in the club chart, with a hat-trick in the 7-0 league win over Aberdeen (to this day our all-time H2H record win over the Dons) in November 1927 being a personal highlight in his final season.

This good form attracted the mighty Liverpool, who tempted Jimmy southwards in the summer of 1928. Jimmy arrived on Merseyside five years after the club's 4th League championship success, a trophy which would not return to Anfield until the first full season of league soccer after the end of the Second World War. The furthest they got in the FA Cup during his 10-year stay was the quarter-final in 1932, when Chelsea triumphed 2-0 at Anfield; and the highest league position was 5th in his first season with Liverpool, 1928-29. He arrived at Anfield as a forward, but made his reputation as a reliable and uncomplicated defender, a player of great calmness and assurance, who became a fixture in the Liverpool side for a decade from 1928 until 1938, a period when he averaged over 35 games a season in league and cup. It was a great shame that such loyal service to one club coincided with one of the leanest periods in Liverpool's history. Jimmy scored 12 times for Liverpool in First Division matches but 8 of those came when he was playing as an inside-forward and before he was moved back into the defence. Perhaps not surprisingly after 8 goals in 25 league games, he only managed another four in his next 313!

In 1931, Jimmy had the honour of being made captain of his country, one of a select band of men to have received that honour while a Liverpool player. Unfortunately, his two games in the European tour of 1931 were chastening experiences, a 0-5 defeat to Austria being followed by a 0-3 defeat to Italy. Jimmy stayed in the Merseyside area once he had made his farewell appearance for Liverpool — at Charlton on 15th January 1938 — and played (and coached) for a while for South Liverpool of the Lancashire Combination, before hanging up his boots for good when war broke out. He remained in the city for the rest of his life, running a chandlery business.

Jimmy is included in our feature piece, The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists →

1927 - GLASGOW CHARITY CUP

1927 - STIRLING CHARITY CUP