 Nelson pictured on a postcard in 1923 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Nelson | ||
| Date of birth | (1901-01-07)7 January 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Greenock, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 8 October 1965(1965-10-08) (aged 64) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Full back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Paul's | |||
| Glenarm | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1921 | Crusaders | ||
| 1921–1930 | Cardiff City | 240 | (2) |
| 1930–1935 | Newcastle United | 146 | (0) |
| 1935–1939 | Southend United | 73 | (0) |
| Total | 459 | (2) | |
| International career | |||
| 1925–1930 | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Nelson (7 January 1901 – 8 October 1965) was a Scottish professionalfootballer who played as afull-back. He moved to Ireland as a child where he began his senior career withIrish Intermediate League sideCrusaders. He spent two seasons with the team before joiningFootball League First Division sideCardiff City in 1921. After two seasons as a reserve, he became established in the first team and went on to make more than 250 appearances in all competitions. He helped the club reach twoFA Cup finals, losing the first in1925 before Cardiff became the first team from outside England to win the competition in1927. He also won the1927 FA Charity Shield and theWelsh Cup on four occasions with Cardiff.
Following Cardiff's relegation, Nelson was sold toNewcastle United in 1930. He went on to captain the side to victory in the1932 FA Cup Final during his second year. He remained with Newcastle for five years, making more than 150 appearances in all competitions before finishing his professional career withThird Division South sideSouthend United. At international level, Nelson attained four caps for theScotland national team between 1926 and 1930, including being part of theWembley Wizards Scotland side of 1928.
Nelson was born inGreenock, Scotland, the sixth son of Alexander Nelson and his wife Jeanie.[2][3] The family moved to Northern Ireland when Nelson was seven where his father was employed as a ship builder.[4][5] He started his football career there with junior sides St Paul's and Glenarm, initially playing as a forward.[6][7] At senior level, he joinedIrish Intermediate League sideCrusaders in 1919 where he was described as a "fullback with great promise".[8][9] His spell with the team was disrupted by a broken leg during his second season,[9] however he was still chosen to represent an Irish League XI on several occasions and captained the side against their English counterparts.[7][10] He was spotted byFred Stewart, manager of Welsh sideCardiff City, who paid £500 to complete a transfer to Cardiff. Such was Nelson's success at Cardiff that the Welsh side sent a message to Crusaders asking "Have you any more players like Jimmy?". This correspondence ultimately led toTom Sloan andTom Watson also moving to Cardiff in the following years.[11]
Nelson moved to Wales in 1921 when signed by Cardiff City, coinciding with the team being promoted to theFirst Division of theFootball League.[12] He made his debut for the club two months into the1921–22 season, replacing captainCharlie Brittain in a 2–0 victory overWest Bromwich Albion on 29 October. He retained his place for Cardiff's following match, a 2–0 defeat toManchester City on 5 November, but these proved to be the only senior appearances in his first season.[13] The following year, Nelson again started the campaign as a reserve,[5][14] with Brittain andJack Page being preferred in Nelson's favoured position. He made only one appearance during the first half of the season, but was recalled for a goalless draw withBolton Wanderers on 30 December 1922. Nelson retained his place for the rest of the season, missing only 4 of the remaining 19 matches and finishing the campaign with 24 appearances in all competitions. This included helping the side to victory in theWelsh Cup by defeatingAberdare Athletic 3–2 in the final.[14]
With Brittain departing the club in 1924, Nelson retained his place in the first team thefollowing season. He was ever present in the First Division, playing in all 42 matches, as the club finished second toHuddersfield Town ongoal average. He also played in 11 cup ties during the campaign, making more appearances for the club than any other player.[15] In the1925–26 season he remained prominent in the first team and scored his first goals for the club, convertingpenalties during victories overBurnley andNottingham Forest in the second half of the campaign. The season culminated with Nelson and Cardiff both reaching their firstFA Cup final, losing1–0 toSheffield United atWembley Stadium.[16]
In the opening game of the1925–26 season, a 3–2 defeat toManchester City, Nelson became the first Cardiff player to be sent off in a Football League match.[17] With the match tied at 2–2, Nelson became involved in an altercation with an opposition player in his penalty area. He was subsequently dismissed after the referee witnessed him kick opposition forwardTommy Johnson, with Manchester City converting the resulting penalty to win the game.[18][19] Nelson was later banned for a month following the clash and missed five league matches.[19][20]
Nelson missed the opening four matches of the1926–27 season before returning to the side and remaining ever present for the remainder of the campaign, appearing in 50 consecutive games as Cardiff finished 14th in the First Division. At the end of the season, he helped the side reach the1927 FA Cup Final againstArsenal,[21] shortly before which theDaily Herald described him as "one of the best backs in the country".[5] Cardiff secured a 1–0 victory, becoming the only team from outside England to win the competition.[4] His success gained him the unusual moniker of the "Scotsman from Ireland who won the English Cup with a Welsh team".[22] He also claimed his second Welsh Cup title as Cardiff defeatedRhyl 2–0 in the final.[21]
Cardiff achieved a sixth-placed finish in the1927–28 season with Nelson making more than 45 appearances in all competitions.[23] However, this proved to be Nelson's last prominent season with the club. After featuring in the opening nine games the following campaign, he succumbed to injury and appeared only two more times as Cardiff suffered relegation to theSecond Division after finishing last.[24] Nelson did not return to the first team on a regular basis until midway through the1929–30 season. He won a fourth Welsh Cup title during his final season, scoring his last goal for the club in a 4–0 victory overSwansea City, theirlocal rivals, in the sixth round.[25]
Nelson left Cardiff in July 1930, signing forNewcastle United for £7,000.[7][26] He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the1930–31 season in a 2–1 defeat againstSheffield Wednesday. After one further appearance, Nelson was absent from the first team for three months before returning in November. He finished his debut season having made 25 appearances in all competitions.[6]
His second season with Newcastle proved to be his most prominent as he made 49 appearances in all competitions. This included playing in all eight cup matches en route to reaching the1932 FA Cup Final.[6] He captained the side to victory in the game, defeating Arsenal to win the competition for the second time in his career.[27] Nelson was still held in high esteem in South Wales from his spell with Cardiff and a benefit night was hosted in his honour inYstrad Mynach shortly after the cup final. As well as raising money for theCaerphilly District Miners Hospital, Nelson was presented with a painting of himself and other items.[28] He remained a regular for two further seasons, making 40 league appearances in both.[6]
Newcastle were relegated to the Second Division in 1934 and Nelson fell out of favour during the1934–35 season. He appeared in the opening three games of the campaign, all of which Newcastle lost as they conceded 14 goals in the process. The third match, a 5–2 defeat againstBrentford on 1 September, proved to be his final appearance for the side.[6] Nelson was among ten players that were released by Newcastle at the end of the year.[29] A potential return to Cardiff was considered, with the side having fallen into theThird Division South, whileWatford also showed interest in his signing.[30]
Nelson joinedThird Division South sideSouthend United in June 1935.[31] Within the first six months, he helped the side win the Southend Hospital Cup, a regional competition. Nelson attended the award ceremony with his teammates in January 1936, during which his car was stolen from outside the venue before being abandoned inPitsea.[32] He remained with the club until 1939, making 81 appearances in all competitions.[33] The same year, he unsuccessfully applied for the managerial position atChelsea,[34] losing out toBilly Birrell.[35]
Nelson made his international debut forScotland on 14 February 1925 in a 3–1 victory overWales, a match in which he was the only Scottish player from outside his nation's league system to be selected.[36][37] He retained his place for his side's 3–0 win overIreland two weeks later. His next cap came more than three years later when he was recalled for a match againstEngland in March 1928.[38] In the match, Scotland caused a major upset by winning 5–1, with the side becoming known as theWembley Wizards.[39] His final cap came in May 1930 when he played in a 2–0 victory overFrance.[38] Nelson had previously been selected to play for Ireland but was withdrawn from the squad when he was found to be ineligible having been born in Scotland.[4]
Nelson married Doris Noon in July 1936 at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church inCanton, Cardiff.[40] One of his brothers, Davey Nelson,[3] was also a footballer, following his brother by playing for both Crusaders and Cardiff City.[41][42]
After retiring from playing, Nelson served as a policeman during wartime.[43] He became apublican after the war ended, initially inSouthend where he worked for his former club in different capacities.[7] He later took over pubs inPenarth andCardiff. His sonTony became an amateur international footballer for Wales then later turned professional withNewport County andAFC Bournemouth.[44][45]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other[nb 1] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cardiff City | 1921–22[13] | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1922–23[14] | First Division | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| 1923–24[15] | First Division | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1924–25[16] | First Division | 37 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 1925–26[20] | First Division | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 1926–27[21] | First Division | 38 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 1927–28[23] | First Division | 41 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 1928–29[24] | First Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1929–30[25] | Second Division | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 240 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 295 | 4 | ||
| Newcastle United | 1930–31[6] | First Division | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1931–32[6] | First Division | 40 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 1932–33[6] | First Division | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1933–34[6] | First Division | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1934–35[6] | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 146 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 160 | 0 | ||
| Southend United | 1935–36[33] | Third Division South | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| 1936–37[33] | Third Division South | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1937–38[33] | Third Division South | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1938–39[33] | Third Division South | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 73 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 81 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 459 | 2 | 49 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 536 | 4 | ||
Cardiff City[7]
Newcastle United[7]