James Blessington
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Blessington (28 February 1874 – 18 April 1939) was a Scottish football player (an inside right) and manager.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 February 1874 | ||
| Place of birth | Linlithgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 18 April 1939 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Newton Abbott, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Inside right | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Harp Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1890–1892 | Hibernian | ||
| 1891–1892 | → Leith Athletic (loan) | 20 | (8) |
| 1892–1898 | Celtic | 83 | (31) |
| 1898 | → Preston North End (loan) | ||
| 1898–1899 | Preston North End | ||
| 1899 | Derby County | 2 | (0) |
| 1899–1900 | Bristol City | ||
| 1900–1903 | Luton Town | ||
| 1903–1909 | Leicester Fosse | 100 | (18) |
| International career | |||
| 1892–1898 | Scottish League XI | 6 | (1) |
| 1894–1896 | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1907–1909 | Leicester Fosse | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
Club
Born in Linlithgow, West Lothian,[2] Blessington began his playing career with several Edinburgh sides, including Hibernian (then temporarily known as Leith Hibernians)[3] and Leith Athletic, before moving to Glasgow to join Celtic in 1892.[4] He spent six seasons at Celtic Park, earning three Scottish Football League titles (1892–93, 1893–94 and 1895–96).[5][6]
He moved to England in 1898, spending short periods with Preston North End, Derby County, Bristol City followed by three years at Luton Town and his longest spell at Leicester Fosse[2] between 1903 and 1909.[7]
International
Blessington was capped four times by the Scotland national team between 1894 and 1896 during his time with Celtic.[8][9] He also made six appearances for the Scottish League representative side, scoring one goal.[10][11][12]
Managerial career and later life
Between 1907 and 1909 Blessington acted as player-manager of Leicester Fosse (though he played only very occasionally),[7] becoming that club's first manager, and was in charge for a total of 84 games.
He then moved to Ireland, where he helped coach Belfast Celtic and also assisted the Irish Amateur Athletic Association as a handicapper.[2] He later moved to Newton Abbot in Devon, where he ran a pub.[2]
