Jimmy Blair (footballer, born 1888)

Jimmy Blair
Personal information
Full name	James Blair
Date of birth	11 May 1888
Place of birth	Glenboig, Scotland
Date of death	28 February 1964 (aged 75)
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Bonnybridge Thistle
?–1908	Ashfield
1908–1914	Clyde
1914–1920	Sheffield Wednesday
1916–1919	→ Rangers (loan)
1920–1926	Cardiff City
1926–1928	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
International career
1911	Home v Anglo Scots
1911–1912	Scottish League XI
1919	→ Scotland (wartime)
1920–1924	Scotland
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Blair (11 May 1888 – 28 February 1964) 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.^[4]

Career

Club

Blair had played for Scottish junior sides Bonnybridge Thistle and Ashfield before being signed by Clyde in 1908.^[5]^[6] He helped the club reach two Scottish Cup Finals,^[5] attracting interest from several clubs around Britain. Sheffield Wednesday signed 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 (winning the 1917–18 Scottish Football League title with Rangers during the second of three seasons with the Glasgow club) 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 & Boscombe Athletic before retiring. He later spent time in a coaching role at Cardiff before moving into the licensing trade.^[4]

International

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.^[5]^[7]

Honours

Clyde

Scottish Cup: finalist 1909–10, 1911–12^[6]
Glasgow Charity Cup: 1909–10^[8]

Rangers

Cardiff City^[4]

FA Cup: finalist 1924–25
Welsh Cup: 1921–22, 1922–23^[11]

Scotland

Home Championship: 1922 –23^[5]

References

^ "Cardiff City". Athletic News. 24 August 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "20 Mar 1911, Home v Anglo Scots". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
^ "Sat 19 Apr 1919 Ireland 0 Scotland 0". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 24. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Jimmy Blair at the Scottish Football Association
^ ^a ^b ^c John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ "Scotland international matches" rsssf.org retrieved 1 April 2008
^ "CLYDE V THIRD LANARK 1-1 (GLASGOW CHARITY CUP FINAL: MAY 14, 1910)". Play up Liverpool. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
^ Association Football. | Glasgow Cup Final., The Glasgow Herald, 8 October 1917
Association Football | Glasgow Cup Final, The Glasgow Herald, 7 October 1918
^ Record Drawings, The Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1919
^ "TON PENTRE'S 1922 WELSH CUP FINAL". CPD Ton Pentre AFC. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
"Jimm Blair's 1923 Welsh Cup Medal". Graham Budd Auctions. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2021.