Jimmy Blair (footballer born 1888)
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Blair was a Scottish international footballer, probably most well known for playing in the 1925 FA Cup Final
for Cardiff City
.
His sons, Doug
and Jimmy, Jr., were also professional footballers.
before being signed by Clyde
. He spent only one year at the club after attracting interest from several clubs around Britain but it was Sheffield Wednesday
who managed to sign him in 1914 for a fee of £2,000. Unfortunately he struggled to ever make a big impact on the team due to various events. Soon after joining the club he was involved in a motorcycle crash that kept him out of the team for a long period and he had made just twenty appearances following his recovery when the Football League was suspended due to the outbreak of World War I
. He returned home to Scotland
during the war and Sheffield Wednesday struggled to get him to return to the club after the hostilities had ended as he was not happy with the deal being offered. He did eventually return to play for the club but, following their relegation, he left to join Cardiff City
in 1920 for £3,500.
He made his debut in a 4–2 win over Blackpool
and went on to establish himself in Cardiff's first team during his six years at Ninian Park
. In 1925 Blair was on the losing side in the FA Cup
final against Sheffield United
following Fred Tunstall
's goal. He left the club in 1926 and played for two years at Bournemouth
before retirng. He later spent time in a coaching role at Cardiff before moving into the licensing trade.
During the early 1920s Blair became a regular for Scotland
and won a total of eight caps, captaining the side on three occasions, making his first appearance on 13 March 1920 against Ireland and his final appearance on 16 February 1924 against Wales
.
1925 FA Cup Final
The 1925 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. Sheffield United won by a single goal, scored by Fred Tunstall....
for Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
His sons, Doug
Doug Blair (footballer)
Douglas "Doug" Blair is an English former professional footballer. He is the son of former Scottish international Jimmy Blair, Sr. and brother of Jimmy Blair, Jr.-Career:...
and Jimmy, Jr., were also professional footballers.
Career
Blair had played for Scottish amateur sides Bonnybridge Thistle and AshfieldAshfield F.C.
Ashfield Football Club are a Scottish football club from Possilpark in the North of Glasgow. Formed in 1886, they are based at Saracen Park, which they share with the Glasgow Tigers speedway team...
before being signed by Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
. He spent only one year at the club after attracting interest from several clubs around Britain but it was Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
who managed to sign him in 1914 for a fee of £2,000. Unfortunately he struggled to ever make a big impact on the team due to various events. Soon after joining the club he was involved in a motorcycle crash that kept him out of the team for a long period and he had made just twenty appearances following his recovery when the Football League was suspended due to the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He returned home to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during the war and Sheffield Wednesday struggled to get him to return to the club after the hostilities had ended as he was not happy with the deal being offered. He did eventually return to play for the club but, following their relegation, he left to join Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in 1920 for £3,500.
He made his debut in a 4–2 win over Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and went on to establish himself in Cardiff's first team during his six years at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
. In 1925 Blair was on the losing side in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
following Fred Tunstall
Fred Tunstall
Fred Tunstall was a footballer who played for Sheffield United and England....
's goal. He left the club in 1926 and played for two years at Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
before retirng. He later spent time in a coaching role at Cardiff before moving into the licensing trade.
During the early 1920s Blair became a regular for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and won a total of eight caps, captaining the side on three occasions, making his first appearance on 13 March 1920 against Ireland and his final appearance on 16 February 1924 against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.