James Ross McKenzie (17 August 1875 – 18 May 1945) was a Scottish professional

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 ...

who played as an outside-forward for various clubs in Scotland and England in the 1890s.

Football career

McKenzie was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and trained as an

upholsterer Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

, playing amateur football for various clubs in the northern half of the city before moving to England in September 1896 to join

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 ...

of the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

. At Burton he had a successful season, missing only four league matches, scoring five goals, as the Swifts finished the 1896–97 season in eleventh place. He then returned to Glasgow to spend a season with

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

, at the end of which they finished at the foot of the table. In the summer of 1898, he was persuaded to move to

southern England Southern England, or the South of England, also known as the South, is an area of England consisting of its southernmost part, with cultural, economic and political differences from the Midlands and the North. Officially, the area includes ...

to join the Southern League champions,

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. The "Saints" were about to embark on their first season in their new stadium and McKenzie made his debut for Southampton in the opening match at The Dell, against Brighton United on 3 September 1898. After Watty Keay had opened the scoring, McKenzie (playing at

outside-left Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

) missed some good chances as the Saints put pressure on the Brighton goal. As half-time approached, McKenzie made a "''smart run up the left''" and crossed for

Abe Hartley Abraham Hartley (8 February 1872 – 9 October 1909) was a Scottish footballer. Hartley played for Everton as a centre forward for five years in the 1890s. He also played for Merseyside rivals Liverpool and for his local club, Dumbarton. His ...

to score the second goal. McKenzie then added a third in the second half, and although Brighton pulled one back through Roddy McLeod, Tom Smith wrapped the match up with the fourth goal. The appreciative Saints fans dubbed McKenzie "''little Joe Turner''", but after only six appearances the lightweight, diminutive winger lost his place to George Seeley. Following a serious leg injury in reserve team match, he returned to Scotland, rejoining Clyde once he had recovered.

Honours

Southampton * Southern League champions: 1898–99

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckenzie, Jim 1875 births 1945 deaths Footballers from Glasgow Scottish men's footballers Men's association football wingers East Stirlingshire F.C. players Burton Swifts F.C. players Clyde F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Southern Football League players Cowlairs F.C. players Upholsterers