James McConnell (23 February 1899 – 1949) 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 ...

born in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

who played as a centre forward in the

English 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 Engl ...

for Carlisle United,

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

and

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...

. McConnell began his football career following service during World War I. In June 1920, he played one game, scoring one goal, for

Kilmarnock F.C. Kilmarnock Football Club, commonly known as Killie, is a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. The team is currently managed by Derek McInnes, who was appointed in January 2022. The club has achieve ...

In February 1921, he joined Stevenston United F.C. In May 1921, his professional career began with Nithsdale Wanderers. In 1926, McConnell moved to the United States where he joined the

Springfield Babes The Springfield Babes was an American soccer club based in Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the C ...

. He played only three games with Springfield before being sent to Providence. In August 1927, McConnell moved to

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

. He got off to a quick start, scoring seven goals in Bethlehem's first eight games of the season. When his production dried up, Bethlehem shipped him to

J&P Coats J. & P. Coats was an American soccer club founded in 1900 as the team of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island branch of the J. & P. Coats threadmaking company of Paisley, Scotland (following a 1952 merger this firm became part of the Coats Group). The club ...

. In 1928, McConnell moved to English side Carlisle United. He later played in England for

before retiring from football in 1934.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Jimmy 1899 births 1949 deaths Footballers from Ayr Scottish footballers Men's association football forwards Kilmarnock F.C. players Celtic F.C. players American Soccer League (1921–1933) players Springfield Babes players Providence F.C. players Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1907–1930) players Pawtucket Rangers players Carlisle United F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Place of death missing Auchinleck Talbot F.C. players Scottish expatriate footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States