James Richardson (footballer)

James Richardson (born 1885 in Bridgeton – died August 1951) was a professional footballer and manager, who played for Third Lanark,[5] Huddersfield Town, Sunderland, Ayr United and Millwall.[1][6]

Jimmy Richardson
Personal information
Full name James Richardson[1]
Date of birth 1885
Place of birth Bridgeton, Scotland[1]
Date of death August 1951 (aged 65–66)[1]
Place of death Cathcart, Scotland
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1907 Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
1907–1910 Third Lanark 79 (54)
1910–1912 Huddersfield Town 42 (24)
1912–1914 Sunderland 35 (20)
1914–1921 Ayr United 159 (111)
1921–1922 Millwall 19 (4)
1922–1923 Mid-Annandale
National team
1919[2][3] Scottish League XI 2 (2)
1919 Scotland (wartime)[4] 2 (0)
Teams managed
1923–1924 Ayr United
1924–1925 Cowdenbeath
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Richardson joined Sunderland in 1912 and played there for two years, scoring a total of 31 goals over 45 appearances.[7] In his first season with Sunderland he helped them win the league for the first time since the 1894–95 season and the last time until the 1935–36 season.[8] He also played in the 1913 FA Cup Final against Aston Villa, with Sunderland losing 1–0.[9]

In the 1914–15 season, while playing for Ayr United, Richardson was joint top goalscorer in the Scottish league, with a total of 29 goals.[10] In 1916, Richardson went to fight in France during the Great War.[11] He returned in 1918 with stomach troubles,[11] but was well enough to join the first team again on 2 November 1918, scoring a hat-trick against Hibernian in a match that ended 5–0.

After retiring as a player Richardson became a manager for several clubs including Ayr United and Cowdenbeath.[6] To this day, the 1924–25 season that Cowdenbeath played with Richardson as manager is still considered their greatest ever performance. For reasons unknown, despite having an incredible season, Richardson left the club after just one year as manager.

After retiring from management, Richardson remained a fan of Ayr United and was spotted at the club as a supporter just a few months prior to his death in August 1951. He remains Ayr United's third highest goalscorer, despite having missed two seasons due to active service. On 4 January 1921, Ayr United held a testimonial match at Somerset Park for Richardson, known amongst fans as "Jimmy's Day".

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 244. ISBN 9781905891610.
  2. Association Football | The Inter-League Game, The Glasgow Herald, 24 February 1919
  3. "James Richardson – Scotland Football League Record from 22 Feb 1919 to 05 Apr 1919 clubs – Ayr United". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  4. "Sat 19 Apr 1919 Ireland 0 Scotland 0". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  5. (Third Lanark player) Richardson, J, FitbaStats
  6. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  7. "Sunderland AFC – Statistics, History and Records – from TheStatCat". www.thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  8. "Sunderland AFC – Statistics, History and Records – from TheStatCat". www.thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  9. "Sunderland AFC – Statistics, History and Records – from TheStatCat". www.thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  10. Brown, Alan (5 June 2014). "Scotland – List of Topscorers". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  11. "Ayr United and World War One : Ayr United Football Club". Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
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