James "Jimmy" Nelson (7 January 1901 – 8 October 1965) was a
ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
international footballer who played for
Cardiff CityCardiff City Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff are currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City play their home games at the Cardiff City Stadium. Until May 2009, Cardiff played at Ninian Park....
and
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
in the 1920s and 1930s and captained the famous
Wembley Wizards"Wembley Wizards" is the name given to the Scottish national team which defeated England at Wembley Stadium in 1928 by 5 goals to 1 in a comprehensive display of teamwork that has become mythologised.-Background:...
ScotlandThe 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...
side of 1928.
Born in
GreenockGreenock is a town and former burgh of barony in the Inverclyde council area of western Scotland. It forms part of a contiguous urban area with Gourock to the west and Port Glasgow to the east. Greenock lies within the Central Lowlands geographic area of Scotland.Greenock's population was...
,
ScotlandScotland 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...
, Nelson moved to
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as a child, starting his football career there with junior sides St Paul's and Glenarm, before turning senior with
CrusadersCrusaders Football Club is a Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005 following the sacking of Alan...
. He moved to
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
in 1921 when signed by Cardiff City and stayed with the
Bluebirds for nine seasons.
James "Jimmy" Nelson (7 January 1901 – 8 October 1965) was a
ScottishThe Scots people and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.An ethnic group, historically they emerged from an amalgamation of Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
international footballer who played for
Cardiff CityCardiff City Football Club is a football team based in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff are currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City play their home games at the Cardiff City Stadium. Until May 2009, Cardiff played at Ninian Park....
and
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
in the 1920s and 1930s and captained the famous
Wembley Wizards"Wembley Wizards" is the name given to the Scottish national team which defeated England at Wembley Stadium in 1928 by 5 goals to 1 in a comprehensive display of teamwork that has become mythologised.-Background:...
ScotlandThe 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...
side of 1928.
Career
Born in
GreenockGreenock is a town and former burgh of barony in the Inverclyde council area of western Scotland. It forms part of a contiguous urban area with Gourock to the west and Port Glasgow to the east. Greenock lies within the Central Lowlands geographic area of Scotland.Greenock's population was...
,
ScotlandScotland 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...
, Nelson moved to
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as a child, starting his football career there with junior sides St Paul's and Glenarm, before turning senior with
CrusadersCrusaders Football Club is a Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005 following the sacking of Alan...
. He moved to
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
in 1921 when signed by Cardiff City and stayed with the
Bluebirds for nine seasons. During this time he became the first Cardiff player to be sent off in a League match (v.
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The team is currently a member of the Premier League.The first known competitive fixture was played in November 1880, when the side was known as St...
, in August 1925) and was also a member of the talented side which won the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
in
1927The 1927 FA Cup Final was won by Cardiff City, who beat Arsenal 1–0. It is most remembered for Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis's mistake which led to the only goal of the game. It was also the first ever Cup Final to be broadcast by BBC Radio...
against
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
. Amongst his team-mates were fellow Scottish international
Jimmy BlairJames "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.-Career:...
, the talented goalscoring forward
Hughie FergusonHughie Ferguson was a Scottish footballer. He is only one of seven men in the entire history of the Football and Scottish Football Leagues to have scored 350 League goals, though he was never capped for Scotland and his winning goal for Cardiff City in the 1927 FA Cup Final is remembered more for...
, heart and soul of the side
Fred KeenorFrederick Charles 'Fred' Keenor was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international best known for captaining the Cardif City team to success in the 1927 FA Cup Final...
, all time Cardiff City record goal scorer
Len DaviesLeonard Stephen "Len" Davies was a Welsh professional footballer. Davies, born in the Splott district of Cardiff, remains the record career goalscorer for Cardiff City. His involvement with the club coincided with their greatest period, a term in which Cardiff consolidated their position in the...
and speedy left winger
George McLachlanGeorge Herbert McLachlan was an FA Cup-winning Scottish footballer and manager. He was born in Glasgow and played as an outside left or at wing half.-Early years:...
.
Nelson played 4 times for his country between 1925 and 1930 and was Scotland's right-back in the famous
WembleyThe original Wembley Stadium was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007.-History:...
game where they beat
EnglandThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
5-1. Nelson had previously been selected to play for Ireland but was withdrawn from the squad when he was found to be ineligible. He was signed by Newcastle United for £7,000 in July 1930 and also played for
Southend UnitedSouthend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who currently play in League One of the English Football League...
in the twilight of his career.
Nelson became a publican after his playing retirement, initially in Southend then later in
PenarthPenarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales 5.2 miles south west from the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
and
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the...
. His son Tony became an amateur international footballer for Wales then later turned professional with
Newport CountyNewport County are a Welsh football team based in Newport who currently play in the English Conference South.They were founded in 1912 and joined the Football League's new Third Division in 1920....
and
BournemouthA.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
.
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