John James (footballer, born 1934)

John James
Personal information
Full name John Edward James
Date of birth (1934-02-19) 19 February 1934
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Playing position Inside forward
Youth career
1949–19?? Brighton & Hove Albion
19??–1950 Paget Rangers
1950–1951 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1951–1955 Birmingham City 5 (2)
1955–1961 Torquay United 125 (11)
Minehead

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

John Edward James (born 19 February 1934) is an English former professional footballer who made 130 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham City and Torquay United.[1] He played as an inside forward.

James was born in Harborne, Birmingham. As a youngster he was on the books of Brighton & Hove Albion, but he was working in a brass foundry when Birmingham City signed him in as a junior in June 1950. He turned professional the following year,[2] and made his first-team debut on 4 March 1953, replacing the injured Peter Murphy in a sixth-round FA Cup replay against Tottenham Hotspur which finished as a 2–2 draw.[3] He played in the next three league games, scoring twice in the last of these to secure a 3–1 win against Barnsley, but managed only two first-team games in the next season and one the season after,[4] and moved on to Torquay United at the end of the 1954–55 season.[2] James spent six seasons with Torquay, and scored 11 goals from 125 league appearances.[1]

James went on to be a very successful scout at both Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle, earning Torquay in particular many thousands of pounds in transfer fees from his talent spotting. Darren Moore and Mark Loram are examples of players he brought to the club. After his move to Plymouth, he was instrumental in signings including Dan Gosling who went on to play for Everton and England under-21s.

References

  1. 1 2 "John James". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  3. Matthews, p. 188.
  4. Matthews, pp. 189–90.
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