McDougall Jimmy Image 1 Liverpool 1931

Description

Port Glasgow born left half Jimmy McDougall began his football career with Port Glasgow Athletic from where he joined Partick Thistle in 1925, making his Thistle debut appearance on 29th April, 1925, in a 2-2 draw away to Ayr United in a Benefit match, playing initially at inside left. He scored the last of his 30 goals on 14th April, 1928, in a 2-1 win at home to Bo’ness and played the last of his 70 matches for The Jags a week later against Glasgow Celtic before signing for First Division club Liverpool at the end of the month. McDougall made his Football League debut on 25th August 1928, in a 3-0  win over Bury at Anfield. He scored his first goal in a match against Aston Villa at Villa Park, this turned out to be a consolation goal as Villa won 3-1.

Towards the end of his debut season he switched to the half back line and he played the entire 1929-30 season at centre half, thereafter making the left half berth his own and he missed very few matches for The Reds through much of the 1930’s until he eventually lost his place in November 1937, having scored 12 goals in 357 matches for Liverpool. In 1938 he joined non league South Liverpool and played a season for them before his retirement in 1939. Following Liverpool’s game against Aston Villa at Anfield on 15th October 1938 McDougall was presented with a £650 cheque for “his loyalty and fine service as a player.”

He was twice selected for Scotland in 1931, interestingly playing at inside left on both occasions. Scotland called up McDougall for a European tour in 1931, leaving most of their established players at home. He made his international debut in a friendly match at the Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna against Austria on 16th May, as the Scots were resoundingly beaten 5-0. He was given the honour of captaining his country in his second international, which was also to be his last, four days later as the Scots lost 3-0 in the Stadio Nazionale, Rome against Italy.

His elder brother Jock McDougall was also a footballer who played for Airdrieonians and Sunderland, and appeared once for Scotland.

NB the photograph was taken immediately before Liverpool’s match against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 17th October 1931, a late Gordon Gunson goal sealing a 2-1 Liverpool victory.