Jimmy Sharp
Birth date11 October 1880
Birth placeAlyth, Perthshire, Scotland
Death date18 November 1949 (aged 69)
PositionLeft back
Years 21899–1904
Years 31904–1905
Years 41905–1908
Years 51908–1909
Years 61909–1912
Years 71912–1915
Years 81915–1916
Years 91920
Clubs 1East Craigie
Clubs 2Dundee
Clubs 3Fulham
Clubs 4Woolwich Arsenal
Clubs 5Rangers
Clubs 6Fulham
Clubs 7Chelsea
Clubs 8Dundee Hibernian
Clubs 9Fulham
Caps 292
Caps 4103
Caps 519
Caps 761
Caps 91
Goals 25
Goals 44
Goals 50
Goals 70
Goals 91
Nationalyears 11902–1903[1]
Nationalteam 1Scottish Football League XI
Nationalcaps 12
Nationalgoals 10
Nationalyears 21904–1909
Nationalteam 2Scotland[2]
Nationalcaps 25
Nationalgoals 20

James Sharp (11 October 1880 – 18 November 1949) was a Scottish international footballer.

Career

Club

Born in Alyth, Perthshire, Sharp began his career with East Craigie and then joined Dundee in 1899.[3] There he was a regular at left back in his five seasons there, where he earned a Scottish First Division runners-up medal in 1902–03.[4] In 1904 he moved south of the border to Fulham, who were then in the Southern League.

A year later, in 1905 he was snapped up by Woolwich Arsenal of the First Division and promptly became a regular in the side after making his debut against Liverpool on 2 September 1905. He missed only three league games in his first season and reached the FA Cup semi-finals twice in his first two seasons. Rangers prised him away in April 1908 for £400. In total he played 116 games for Arsenal, scoring 5 goals.

His spell at Rangers only lasted nine months before he moved back to London again, rejoining Fulham for a transfer fee of £1,000. He spent another four seasons at Craven Cottage. Sharp then joined Fulham's local rivals Chelsea, leaving upon the cancellation of league football in 1915 due to World War I.[5]

Sharp then returned to Scotland, joining Dundee Hibernian of the wartime Eastern League in September 1915. He left in April 1916 for military service with the Black Watch, but briefly returned to play for Dundee Hibs in February 1919.[6]

He moved back to Fulham in 1919, working as a trainer. However, at the age of 39 he made an unlikely comeback; after Fulham's inside left Harold Crockford missed the team bus to an away game at Bury on 17 April 1920, Sharp returned and scored in a 2–2 draw.

Sharp later coached at Walsall and Cliftonville. He died in 1949, aged 69.

International

Sharp made his debut for Scotland against Wales on 12 March 1904 while with Dundee. He won another three Scotland caps at Arsenal, and one more against Wales on 1 March 1909 during his Fulham spell, to bring his total to five.

See also

References

  1. ^ (SFL player) James Sharp, London Hearts Supporters Club
  2. ^
  3. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
  4. ^ "Jimmy Sharp | Player Statistics | Dundee (Dee Archive)". deearchive.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  5. ^ Jimmy Sharp, Stamford-Bridge.com
  6. ^ Gracie, Steve (2008). A Passion for Survival : Dundee United FC, A Comprehensive History 1909-1945. Dundee: Arabest Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 9780955834103.
Sources
  • Harris, Jeff (1995). Arsenal Who's Who. Hogg, Tony (ed.). Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.