Jimmy Gordon (1888 – 1954), Saltcoats born footballer who made 388 appearances for Rangers.
The following piece was kindly provided by David Herd and is an extract from his book “1872 – Stories of Rangers Players of Yesteryear” (JMD Media / DB Publishing).
The war hero who could play anywhere and captained his country.
The 25 year ‘hoodoo’ Rangers endured between 1903 and 1928 in the Scottish Cup meant there were some all-time great players in Royal Blue who went through an illustrious career at Ibrox without winning the national cup competition. One of these great players was Jimmy Gordon.
James Eadie Gordon was born in Saltcoats on 23 July 1888, and was viewed as something of a footballing prodigy when a juvenile player at Thornwood Athletic, then a Junior with Renfrew Victoria. Gordon joined William Wilton’s Rangers as a teenager and made his debut in a 3-0 home league win over Kilmarnock in April 1907 at the age of 19. That was his only appearance in the league that season, but he started in the Charity Cup semi-final and final in May, winning his first medal in only his third competitive start as he played at right-half against Celtic in the final at Cathkin Park. The blue half of the 38,000 crowd were highly impressed by the calm and determined youngster as Rangers upset league champions Celtic 1-0.
Gordon established himself at right-half in the Rangers team the following season, playing in 30 matches, including 22 in the league. He scored his first goal for the club near the end of the season in a 2-0 win against Clyde, which was a rare bright spot in a campaign of much disappointment. Celtic won all four available trophies, the first time the feat had been achieved, Gordon suffering at their hands especially in the Glasgow Cup Final which needed three games to separate the teams.
A versatile player, Gordon would feature in virtually every position over his long Rangers career (including one match in goal), and in 1908/09 he was briefly a very effective centre forward. He scored a league hat-trick against Hamilton, and ended the season in real style by scoring seven goals in three Charity Cup matches, including a double in another winning final against Celtic, this time at Parkhead.
That season was probably best remembered for the infamous Hampden riot, when both sets of fans invaded the pitch at the end of a drawn Scottish Cup Final replay when it became apparent there would be no extra time as had been expected, resulting in the trophy being withheld for the season. Gordon had missed the initial 2-2 draw, but was at right-half in the replay, and he scored Rangers’ goal in the 20th minute of the infamous 1-1 draw. Unbelievably, for a player who played in the Rangers first team for over a decade, this was to be Gordon’s only appearance in the final.
The Charity Cup was the only silverware won that season, but there were high hopes at Ibrox for 1909/10 after some significant signings, especially Englishmen Billy Hogg and Herbert Lock. But things didn’t go initially to plan, Gordon missing several games through injury at the start of the season, during which Rangers lost twice. Celtic were champions for the sixth successive year, and they compounded the misery at Ibrox by winning the Old Firm Glasgow Cup Final. Gordon’s injury interrupted season saw him miss Scottish Cup and Charity Cup defeats to an excellent Clyde team, and by the summer, he was happy to see the back of 1909/10 and looked forward to a healthier and more successful 1910/11.
Gordon filled in at inside-right for the opening-day clash with St Mirren and scored the only goal. He kept the position the following week and scored again against Raith Rovers. He started a total of 28 times, mainly at right-half, as the team mounted a significant title challenge, which was to be successful in bringing the championship back to the club for the first time since 1902. Rangers had now fully bedded in their newer players to fit alongside their more established stars. In attack, Willie Reid’s amazing goalscoring exploits were ably supported by the skill and goals of Alec Bennett, Alec Smith and Billy Hogg, while in defence the brave and agile Herbert Lock had the highly effective James Galt, Jimmy Gordon and Joe Hendry in front of him. Their status as the best team in the country was demonstrated by a convincing 3-1 Glasgow Cup Final success over Celtic in October followed by an end-of-season 2-1 Charity Cup Final win over the same opponents.
Rangers only failed in the Scottish Cup that season in a loss to Dundee, and it was Clyde who ended the run in 1911/12. Gordon also suffered Charity Cup defeat to them later in the season. But he claimed second winners’ medals in both the Glasgow Cup and the league championship, scoring a rare goal in the league win over Celtic at Ibrox in October. He started every time he was fit, manager Wilton knowing he could rely on Gordon no matter the opposition and no matter the position he was asked to play.
Gordon earned his first Scotland cap in March 1912 in a 4-1 win over Ireland, and represented his country ten times, the last being in 1920. No doubt he would have added to that tally had international matches not been suspended during the Great War. Just prior to conflict breaking out, he enjoyed his greatest moment in Scotland’s blue when captain of the team who beat England 3-1 in April 1914 at Hampden before 105,000 spectators.
Season 1912/13 saw Gordon remain a key man in the side as Rangers clinched a third successive title. He started the season as the previous year, scoring on the opening day. That was to be his only league goal all season from 28 appearances, however, with his only other goals in the campaign being a double in a Charity Cup tie against Partick the following May. He suffered defeat to Celtic in that competition, but enjoyed another Glasgow Cup win over them in a sensational final where Rangers were a goal behind and down to ten fit players in the second half, then came back to win 3-1.
This would be the last title-winning season Gordon would enjoy for a few years, Celtic regaining the crown in season 1913/14 despite Gordon’s improved goal return of four from 36 starts. These goals included his first penalties for the club, scoring from the spot in successive weeks against Dumbarton and Airdrie. He had to make do with just another Glasgow Cup success in the campaign, the team’s inconsistency in contrast to Gordon’s sustained excellence.
This was the last season unaffected by war, although he did remain a regular in the team in the unsuccessful campaign of 1914/15. He scored eight times that season, his best for some time.
Gordon’s career was put briefly on hold in 1916 when he enlisted with the Highland Light Infantry, reaching the rank of sergeant. While serving his country he lost his place in the Rangers team to a new right-half, Peter Pursell, signed from Queen’s Park.
Gordon played more of a utility role in Rangers’ title-winning team of 1917/18, amassing 16 league appearances without settling in a particular position, but filling in as a forward and also as a defender. He played centre-forward a few times, and showed he hadn’t lost his ability to lead the line when hitting all four goals against Morton on 2 February 1918, and a crucial double against Motherwell on the penultimate weekend of the season as the race with Celtic went to the last day. This Rangers team was the beginning of the great side who would go on to dominate Scottish football by the early 1920s, as the likes of Tommy Muirhead and Sandy Archibald now wore the famous colours.
After he played in only half the league games in 1918/19, the departure of Peter Pursell for Port Vale allowed one more glory season for the veteran Gordon in 1919/20, which was to be the last Rangers played under the legendary William Wilton. Rangers raced to title glory in a season they dominated, with Gordon playing 40 games and scoring ten goals in all competitions, all his goals in the league. His fifth championship medal had been won at the age of 32. Typically, he started the shock defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-finals to Albion Rovers, as the dominant team of the year flopped in the national cup tournament yet again.
Gordon scored his last Rangers goal on 24 April 1920, 13 years after his club debut, in a 6-1 home win against Dundee, and made his final competitive appearance at Dumbarton four days later. By this time a young right-half by the name of Davie Meiklejohn had made his debut, and the youngster was to take over that position and serve the club with incredible distinction for many years.
The tragic events prior to season 1920/21 that saw the untimely death of Wilton and the beginning of the Bill Struth era also coincided with the end of a glorious Rangers career for Gordon. He only played one match under Struth, a benefit fixture on 30 August 1920 for the magnificent servant Bert Manderson, when Rangers beat Celtic 2-1 in front of 20,000 spectators.
He left soon after, heading to the Kingdom of Fife to briefly play for Dunfermline, before he hung up his boots and enjoyed life after football as the owner of several billiard halls along with his old Rangers team-mate Jimmy Galt, as well as a director in Galt’s motor business. Gordon died in November 1954 at the age of 66, and he deservedly was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame. In what could be regarded as the ultimate accolade, it was reported that Bill Struth described him as ‘The greatest Ranger who ever lived.’
Career Stats
• Rangers career: 1907–1920
• 79 goals from 388 competitive appearances
• An international-class defender and goalscoring attacker
• 5 league titles
Further Reading
Jimmy Gordon at the SFA