Dougall Jimmy Image 2 Reading 1926

Description

Wishaw, Lanarkshire born outside right Jimmy Dougall joined Scottish League Motherwell in 1918 from Cleland Juniors, before signing for Second Division club Coventry City a year later, making his first team debut in an FA Cup tie at Luton Town in January 1920, playing in the replay defeat at Highfield Road before making his Football League debut at Rotherham County in a 4-3 defeat the next Saturday. He scored his first goal in a 2-0 home victory over Grimsby Town at the start of April and became a mainstay in the first team at Coventry from the start of the following season, only occasionally missing matches during the following six seasons at Highfield Road as they struggled to maintain their status as a Second Division club. Dougall was described as “a tricky winger whose accurate crosses resulted in many goals”. In 1924 he was the subject of a £2,000 transfer bid from Manchester United but Coventry City turned it down.

In City’s 1924-25 relegation season he missed only one match, and stayed a further season in the Third Division (North) before he was sold to Second Division Reading for £555 in the summer of 1926 having scored 13 goals in 238 appearances. 1926-27 was a famous season for Reading as they made the FA Cup semi final but Dougall only made 12 appearances in the season, he unfortunately broke his leg in their FA Cup third round tie with Manchester United in January 1927  (a 1-1 draw at Elm Park before they won the tie in a second replay at Villa Park after a further draw at Old Trafford) and this proved his last game before being forced into retirement by the injury.