Alex Jackson (footballer, born 1905)

Football career

Club

Jackson was born and raised in Renton. A highly talented outside right, known as the Gay Cavalier,

After an impressive debut season for the Dons he joined Huddersfield Town, then the reigning League Champions, for a record £5000. Jackson helped Huddersfield retain their league title in 1925–26 and the runners-up spot in the following two years. He also led them to two FA Cup Finals: he scored in the 1928 final against Blackburn Rovers, but Huddersfield lost 3–1. In 1930 he was again on the losing side, this time against Arsenal.

Jackson signed for David Calderhead's big-spending Chelsea in September 1930 for £8,500, joining international teammates Hughie Gallacher, Tommy Law and Alec Cheyne. His time at Chelsea was hampered by injuries, though he linked up well with the prolific Gallacher and scored 31 goals from 78 games for the club. Jackson's first-class career ended prematurely during the 1932–33 season. Having already fallen foul of the Chelsea hierarchy for activities relating to the public house he operated, he and several other star players at the club were approached by the French side Nîmes with a lucrative contract offer, which Jackson threatened to accept unless Chelsea broke their maximum wage structure and increased his salary. The club refused to budge and Jackson was forced to finish his career playing for a series of non-league clubs such as Ashton National (from Ashton-under-Lyne) and Margate. He later joined the French side Nice.

International

It was Jackson's career with the Scotland national team that he is now perhaps best remembered. He won his first cap at the age of 19 and scored the winning goal against England to clinch the 1925–26 British Home Championship. He was one of the Wembley Wizards, the Scotland side that beat England 5–1 at Wembley in March 1928; Jackson scored a hat-trick during the match. He stated that his most "glorious" match for Scotland was eleven months later, when he scored twice in a 7–3 victory over Ireland in Belfast.

Career statistics

International

:Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.

Other interests

Jackson was the landlord of a public house in London's Covent Garden while playing with Chelsea, and also had a weekly newspaper column.

He was killed in a traffic collision whilst serving with the army, as a major in the Pioneer Corps in Egypt in 1946 aged 40. He is buried at the Fayid War Cemetery.

References

References

1. he was particularly adept at dribbling and [[Direct free kick. free kicks]]. He initially played for Renton Victoria but was transferred to [[Dumbarton F.C.. Dumbarton]] in 1922 for the pre-inflation price of a football. In 1923, he left Scotland to play in the [[American Soccer League (1921–1933). American Soccer League]] with [[Bethlehem Steel F.C. (1907–30). Bethlehem Steel]] alongside his elder brother [[Wattie Jackson. Wattie]], before both returned to Scotland to play for [[Aberdeen F.C.
2. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52089989 England 1-5 Scotland: The day the Wembley Wizards were born], Richard Winton, BBC Sport, 5 June 2020
3. His international career was later hindered by a ban on ''Anglos'' (Scots who played for English clubs) as a result of a dispute between the [[Scottish Football Association. SFA]] and [[Football Association
4. [http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/alexanderskinnerjackson.html (Scotland player) Alex Jackson], London Hearts Supporters Club
5. {{CWGC