Alex Jackson
Encyclopedia
Alexander Skinner Jackson (12 May 1905 — 15 November 1946) was a Scottish
footballer.
Alex Jackson was born in Renton
in 1905. A highly-talented winger
, known as the Gay Cavalier, he was particularly adept at dribbling and free kicks
. He initially played for Renton Victoria Football Club but was transferred to Dumbarton F.C.
in 1922 for the pre-inflation price of a football. In 23, he left Scotland to play in the American Soccer League
with Bethlehem Steel
, alongside his brother Wattie
, before coming back to Britain to play for Aberdeen. After an impressive debut season for the Dons he joined English side Huddersfield Town
, then the reigning League Champions
, for a record £5000. Jackson helped Huddersfield retain their league title in 1925-26
and the runners-up spot in the following two years. He also led them to two FA Cup Final
s. He scored in the 1928 final
against Blackburn Rovers
, but it was not enough to prevent a 3-1 loss. In 1930
he was again on the losing side, this time against Arsenal
.
Jackson signed for David Calderhead
's big-spending Chelsea
in September 1930 for £8,500, joining international team mates, Hughie Gallacher
, Tommy Law
and Alec Cheyne
already at the club. His time at Chelsea was hampered by injuries, though he linked up well with the prolific Gallacher and himself scored 31 goals from 78 games for the club. Jackson's first-class career was then ended prematurely during the 1932-33
season. He and several other star players at the club were approached by French
side Nîmes
with a lucrative contract offer, which Jackson threatened to accept unless Chelsea broke their maximum wage
structure and increased his salary. The club refused to budge and, in the days before the Bosman ruling
, Jackson could do little. He was forced to finish his career playing for a series of non-league
clubs such as Ashton National from Ashton-under-Lyne
and Margate
. He later joined French side Nice
.
It was Jackson's career with the Scottish national team
for which is now perhaps best remembered. He won his first cap at the age of 19 and was one of the Wembley Wizards
, the name given to the Scotland side which beat England
5-1 at Wembley
in 1928. Jackson scored a hat-trick
during the match. He also scored the winner against England two years earlier. His international career was later hindered by the ban on Anglos - Scots who played for English
clubs - and he finished with 17 caps
and eight goals.
He was killed in a road accident whilst serving with the army
in Egypt
in 1946.
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...
footballer.
Alex Jackson was born in Renton
Renton
- People :* David Renton, , a British politician* Frank Renton, British musician, conductor and broadcaster* Kris Renton, Scottish footbal player* Kristen Renton, American actress* Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, British politician....
in 1905. A highly-talented winger
Winger (sport)
In certain sports, such as football, field hockey, ice hockey, handball, rugby union, lacrosse and rugby league, the term winger is the name of a position. It refers to positions on the extreme left and right sides of the pitch . In American football and Canadian football, the analogous position...
, known as the Gay Cavalier, he was particularly adept at dribbling and free kicks
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
. He initially played for Renton Victoria Football Club but was transferred to Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...
in 1922 for the pre-inflation price of a football. In 23, he left Scotland to play in the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
with Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel F.C.
Bethlehem Steel Football Club was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. Known as the Bethlehem Football Club from 1911 until 1915 when it became the Bethlehem Steel Football Club, the team was sponsored by the Bethlehem Steel corporation and played their home games first at East...
, alongside his brother Wattie
Wattie Jackson
Walter “Wattie” Jackson was a Scottish soccer center forward who spent five seasons in the Scottish Football League, at least one in the Football League and two in the American Soccer League....
, before coming back to Britain to play for Aberdeen. After an impressive debut season for the Dons he joined English side Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, then the reigning League Champions
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, for a record £5000. Jackson helped Huddersfield retain their league title in 1925-26
1925-26 in English football
The 1925–26 season was the 51st season of competitive football in England. This marked the year that Huddersfield Town won the League three years running, making them the first team in Football League history to do so.-Honours:-First Division:...
and the runners-up spot in the following two years. He also led them to two FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
s. He scored in the 1928 final
1928 FA Cup Final
The 1928 FA Cup Final was contested by Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium. Blackburn won 3–1, with goals from Jack Roscamp and Tommy McLean...
against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, but it was not enough to prevent a 3-1 loss. In 1930
1930 FA Cup Final
The 1930 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals from Alex James and Jack Lambert...
he was again on the losing side, this time against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
Jackson signed for David Calderhead
David Calderhead
David Calderhead was a Scottish footballer who later became a manager, notably of Chelsea.-Playing career:...
's big-spending Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in September 1930 for £8,500, joining international team mates, Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
, Tommy Law
Tommy Law
Thomas "Tommy" Law was a Scottish footballer. Playing at full-back, he spent his entire professional career at Chelsea....
and Alec Cheyne
Alec Cheyne
Alexander George 'Alec' Cheyne was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside-forward. He is reputed to have been responsible for the Hampden Roar following his goal in the 'Cheyne International' of 1929....
already at the club. His time at Chelsea was hampered by injuries, though he linked up well with the prolific Gallacher and himself scored 31 goals from 78 games for the club. Jackson's first-class career was then ended prematurely during the 1932-33
1932-33 in English football
The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
season. He and several other star players at the club were approached by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
side Nîmes
Nîmes Olympique
Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was formed on 10 April 1937 and currently play in Championnat National, the third level of French football. The club's only achievement was winning Ligue 2 in 1950 and the Championnat National in 1997...
with a lucrative contract offer, which Jackson threatened to accept unless Chelsea broke their maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
structure and increased his salary. The club refused to budge and, in the days before the Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
, Jackson could do little. He was forced to finish his career playing for a series of non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
clubs such as Ashton National from Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton National F.C.
Ashton National Football Club were an English football club from Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire which played in the Cheshire County League in the 1920s and 1930s...
and Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
. He later joined French side Nice
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur is a French association football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top-tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray located within the city. In 2013, the club is...
.
It was Jackson's career with the Scottish national team
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...
for which is now perhaps best remembered. He won his first cap at the age of 19 and was one of the Wembley Wizards
Wembley Wizards
- Aftermath :When asked for his comment after the game, Alex James simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the heads of those little no-hopers of the Scottish side...
, the name given to the Scotland side which beat England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
5-1 at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire 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...
in 1928. Jackson scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
during the match. He also scored the winner against England two years earlier. His international career was later hindered by the ban on Anglos - Scots who played for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
clubs - and he finished with 17 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
and eight goals.
He was killed in a road accident whilst serving with the army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1946.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 17 April 1926 Old Trafford Old Trafford (football)Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
1-0 1-0 BHC 1926 British Home ChampionshipThe 1926 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1925–26 season between the British Home Nations...2 30 October 1926 Ibrox Park Ibrox StadiumIbrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
2-0 3-0 BHC 1927 British Home ChampionshipThe 1927 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1926–27 season. It was shared by England and Scotland after a series of high scoring draws in the opening matches left England, Wales and Ireland well behind with Scotland ahead,...3 30 October 1926 Ibrox Park Ibrox StadiumIbrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
3-0 3-0 BHC 1927 British Home ChampionshipThe 1927 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1926–27 season. It was shared by England and Scotland after a series of high scoring draws in the opening matches left England, Wales and Ireland well behind with Scotland ahead,...4 31 March 1928 Wembley Stadium Wembley StadiumThe original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire 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...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1-0 5-1 BHC 1928 British Home ChampionshipThe 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...5 31 March 1928 Wembley Stadium Wembley StadiumThe original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire 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...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
3-0 5-1 BHC 1928 British Home ChampionshipThe 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...6 31 March 1928 Wembley Stadium Wembley StadiumThe original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire 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...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
5-0 5-1 BHC 1928 British Home ChampionshipThe 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...7 23 February 1929 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
4-1 7-3 BHC 1929 British Home ChampionshipThe 1929 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1928–29 season. The competition was won by Scotland, who won all three matches with strong attacking football epitomised by Hughie Gallacher, who scored seven of his team's 12 goals...8 23 February 1929 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
7-3 7-3 BHC 1929 British Home ChampionshipThe 1929 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1928–29 season. The competition was won by Scotland, who won all three matches with strong attacking football epitomised by Hughie Gallacher, who scored seven of his team's 12 goals...
External links
- International stats at Londonhearts.com