James Beech (1871; date of death unknown) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Burslem Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley of ...

between 1894 and 1902, making 151 appearances in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

Career

Beech played for Smallthorne St. Saviour and Smallthorne Albion before joining

in May 1894. He made 14

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

appearances in the 1894–95 season, but featured just twice in the 1895–96 campaign. The club then spent two seasons in the Midland League, and Beech was part of the side that won the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1898. Vale were then re-elected into the

. Beech played 31 league games in the 1898–99 season and scored goals at the Athletic Ground in wins over

Burton Swifts Burton Swifts Football Club was a football club based in Burton upon Trent, England. Established in 1871, the club joined the Football League in 1892, remaining members until merging with Burton Wanderers to form Burton United in 1901. Hist ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, and Lincoln City. He played 31 league matches in the 1899–1900 and 1900–01 campaigns, and claimed goals against Burton Swifts, Birmingham City, and

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

. However, in November 1901 he became seriously ill and retired from football at the end of the 1901–02 season. His benefit match was held against rivals

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...

on 15 April 1901; Vale won the game 2–1.

Career statistics

Source:

Honours

Burslem Port Vale * Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1898

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beech, James 1871 births Year of death missing Footballers from Stoke-on-Trent English men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Port Vale F.C. players English Football League players Midland Football League players