Jackson Jimmy Image 2 West Ham United 1905

Description

Cambuslang, Lanarkshire born left back/left half Jimmy Jackson grew up in Australia, where he played football as a youth. He is believed to be the youngest player to have appeared in senior football in that country, having played for Hamilton Athletic in 1889 at the age of 13 years 7 months, remaining with them until he moved on to Adamstown Rosebud join 1891.

Jackson returned to Scotland in 1893, playing junior football for Newton Thistle in 1894 and Cambuslang in 1895 before signing for Glasgow Rangers in 1896, making his Scottish League debut against Clyde in a 2-1 victory in October 1896, but this was his only appearance in the first team. He was then sold to Second Division Newcastle United in May 1897, making his Football League debut against Woolwich Arsenal the same September, and he helped them achieve promotion to the Football League First Division in 1897-98, when they had to go through the Test Match series, Jackson scoring in a 4-0 Test Match win over Blackburn Rovers that clinched promotion. He missed only three games of their maiden First Division campaign before he joined Woolwich Arsenal in May 1899, attracted by the club’s willingness to help him open a sports shop, after 3 goals in 68 appearances for The Magpies.

He made his Arsenal debut against Leicester Fosse on 2nd September 1899, and for the next six seasons he was a regular at the club, playing either at left back or wing half. He was a virtual ever-present in the Gunners’ 1903-04 promotion winning season, and captained the club in its inaugural First Division campaign. In all he made 204 appearances for Arsenal, scoring once from the penalty spot in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town in December 1901. Jackson left Arsenal in the 1905 close season to become player manager of Leyton, newly admitted to the Southern League, but his spell was brief and n November he signed for West Ham United, for whom he was ever-present for the rest of their 1905-06 Southern League season making 24 appearances for The Irons before re-joining Glasgow Rangers in 1906.

He played in 30 League matches over two seasons at Rangers, before signing for another First Division club, Port Glasgow Athletic, at the start of the 1908-09 season. In January 1910, Jackson refused to play in a Scottish Cup tie because he was claimed he was owed considerable arrears of wages, of some £21; the club duly fined him £20 and suspended him to the end of the season. The Scottish Football Association ruled in Jackson’s favour as to wages due up until his refusal to play, but confirmed the club fine. He then joined Hamilton Academical for what remained of the season.

In May 1910, he signed for Greenock Morton, for whom he played in 22 of their 34 First Division matches. Early in the following season, he signed for Division Two club Abercorn, and remained with the club until 1914-15, retiring shortly before his 40th birthday.

Jackson had two sons who became footballers. The elder, James, played for Aberdeen before making more than 200 appearances for Liverpool, being (famously) ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church; the younger, Archie, played for Sunderland and Tranmere Rovers. His nephew (the son of his brother Alexander) was the 1920’s/1930’s Australian test cricketer, also named Archie Jackson, who played with the great Don Bradman.