James Hinch (born 8 November 1947) is an English retired

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who spent most of his career in the lower English divisions. He also played two seasons in the American Soccer League, where he was the 1976 ASL leading scorer MVP, and two in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

. Hinch began his professional career in 1969 with

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...

in the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

. On 10 February 1971, Tranmere transferred Hinch to fellow third division club

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

. In 1973, he then moved to

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...

. In 1974, Hinch moved up to

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

which had just won promotion to 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 ti ...

the previous season. He went on loan to fourth division

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

during March and April in the 1974–1975 season. In 1976 and again in 1977, Hinch went on loan to the

Los Angeles Skyhawks The Los Angeles Skyhawks was a professional soccer club based in Los Angeles, California, that was a member of the American Soccer League. Founded as part of the American Soccer League's expansion to the west coast in 1976, they were the first pro ...

of the American Soccer League. The Skyhawks were established in 1976, but ran to the league championship as Hinch led the league in scoring with thirteen goals and six assists in eighteen games. This led to Hinch's selection as League MVP. In 1977, Hinch finished second behind Jose Neto in scoring with eleven goals and thirteen assists, gaining him first team All Star recognition. York City transferred Hinch to

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

for the 1977–1978 season, but he played only one game for Wednesday before moving to Barnsley F.C. At the end of the season, Barnsley sold Hinch's contract to the

California Surf The California Surf were an American Association football, soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (1968–1984), North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 North American Soccer League season, 1978 to 1981 North American ...

of the

. He spent the 1979 and 1980 seasons with the Surf.

References

External links

British stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinch, Jimmy 1947 births Living people Footballers from Sheffield English footballers Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players York City F.C. players Southport F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players California Surf players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Los Angeles Skyhawks players English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States English expatriate footballers Association football forwards