The Thistle Archive

Peebles-born inside forward Jimmy Reid started playing in the East of Scotland league with his local team, Peebles Rovers, and soon had a great buzz about his name, goals aplenty giving him a prominence in the sports columns. In January 1909, Jimmy played a trial game with Celtic, scoring in a benefit match away to East Stirlinghsire. Somewhat strangely, he declined a tempting offer from St Bernard's shortly thereafter. Confidence! He landed at Firhill in December 1909 and played 4 times on a short term deal but, again, nothing tangible came of it in terms of a proper professional contract. He then had a go down south, featuring as a trialist for Chelsea Reserves in a match against Portsmouth on 29th January 1910. Then, having impressed as a trialist against Barnsley, Lincoln City finally signed Jimmy in April 1910; he was the third Peebles Rovers player to make that same move in recent times.

He was a first team regular at City in 1910-11 playing over 30 matches and, by the time he joined Airdrieonians in 1912, he’d scored 3 goals in 37 appearances. At Airdrie he played as centre forward and made an immediate impression, finishing top scorer in the SFL First Division in both the 1912-13 & 1913-14 seasons. Jimmy's footballing appearances in wartime were limited by his service with the Royal Engineers in which he was a sergeant. He was demobbed in 1919. Jimmy converted to an outside right after World War I to accommodate the emerging Hughie Gallacher, and was on the wing in the team that won the Scottish Cup in 1924, defeating Hibernian 2-0 in front of almost 60,000 in the final at Ibrox. The Diamonds were also runners-up in Division One four consecutive times in that period. In all, Jimmy spent 15 years at Airdrie, many of those as club captain, before joining Clydebank in October 1927.

On the international stage he won 3 caps for Scotland, the first coming before World War One against Wales at Parkhead in February 1914, the second against the same opponents exactly 6 years later at Ninian Park, and finally in March 1924 in a 2-0 win over Ireland at Parkhead. He also played in an unofficial Victory International in May 1919, a 4-3 defeat to England at Hampden Park. Jimmy also played for the Scottish Football League XI, scoring six times in five appearances. Throughout his time in Airdrie he ran a tobacconist shop, and still had it when he died suddenly of pneumonia aged 47. Many former team mates attended his funeral at New Monkland Cemetery.

On account of his service during WWI, Jimmy is included in our feature piece, The Partick Thistle returned →.

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