James Richardson (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Richardson | ||
| Date of birth | 1885 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | August 1951 | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1910–1912 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | (24) |
| Sheffield Wednesday | |||
| 1912–1914 | Sunderland | 45 | (31) |
| 1914-19xx | Ayr United | ||
| National team | |||
| 1919 | Scottish League XI[1] | 1 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1923–1924 | Ayr United | ||
| 1924–1925 | Cowdenbeath | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
James Richardson (better known as Jimmy Richardson) (born 1885 in Glasgow – died August 1951) was a professional footballer and manager, who played for Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, and Ayr United, as well as several other clubs.
Richardson joined Sunderland in 1912 and played there for two years, scoring a total of 31 goals over 45 appearances. In his first season with Sunderland he helped them win the league for the first time since the 1894/1895 season, and the last time until the 1935/1936 season. He also played in the 1913 FA Cup Final against Aston Villa, with Sunderland losing 1–0.
In the 1914/1915 season, while playing for Ayr United, Richardson was joint top goalscorer in the Scottish league, with a total of 29 goals.[2] In 1916, Richardson went to fight in France during the Great War. He returned in 1918 with stomach troubles, 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. To this day, the 1924/1925 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
- ↑ http://www.londonhearts.com/SFL/players/jamesrichardson.html
- ↑ Brown, Alan (5 June 2014). "Scotland – List of Topscorers". www.rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- Ian Thomas & others (2007). 99 Years & Counting – Stats & Stories – Huddersfield Town History. Huddersfield Town Football Club. ISBN 0-9557281-0-X.