McKernan James Image 1 Bolton Wanderers 1883

Description

Cowgate, Edinburgh born full back James McKernan made his footballing debut for Hibernian, in 1878 (only three years after the club was founded). This was against Dunfermline on 28th September 1878 – Hibs won 5-2. Between 1878 and 1882, he made 15 appearances for Hibs which doesn’t seem much, but at the time there was no league, of course, and for a period Hibs were actually barred from Scottish cup competitions on the grounds that they were an “Irish” team. Incidentally, he played in a match on 8th October 1881 which was the first ever time the team were referred to as “Hibs” in a Scottish newspaper (it was a cup game against St Bernard’s which Hibs won 2-1).

He spent most of the 1880’s with Bolton Wanderers.In either 1881 or 1882, Hibernian played Bolton Wanderers in two exhibition matches (winning both) and in late 1881 or 1882 McKernan  “signed” for Bolton- there were no official contracts, so players could turn out for whoever they liked, but he moved down to Bolton and was installed as publican at the Britannia Hotel on Derby Street (which apparently was the Wanderers unofficial headquarters for a while). He made 17 FA cup appearances for Bolton, mainly up to 1885 but including his last known game against Everton on 15th October 1887 (Bolton won 1-0). In 1886, he seems also to have played for (actually captained) Great Lever FC, having moved pubs to The Market Inn. After 1888, when Bolton were founder members of the Football League, he is not recorded as having played.

NB grateful thanks to his great grandson Chris Fyles for his wonderful contribution to this biography.