| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Irvine | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Whitburn, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Edinburgh Athletic | |||
| – | Whitburn Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1964 | Dundee United | 125 | (62) |
| 1964–1967 | Middlesbrough | 91 | (37) |
| 1967–1970 | Hearts | 34 | (11) |
| 1970–1972 | Barrow | 67 | (17) |
| Total | 317 | (127) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
James (Jim) Irvine (born August 17, 1940 in Whitburn, West Lothian) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward.
Irvine was raised in West Lothian, where he attended St Mary's School in Bathgate. He showed early footballing promise and was capped by Scotland at Schoolboy level.[1] He started his senior football career with Dundee United, then in the Second Division, initially on a part-time basis as he completed a motor mechanic apprenticeship.[1] Under the stewardship of Jerry Kerr United gained promotion and Irvine's striking partnership with Denis Gillespie provided more than 150 goals as they consolidated a position in the Scottish top flight over the following seasons.
However at the end of the 1963-64 season, Middlesbrough manager Raich Carter bid £25,000 for Irvine's services and he moved to Teesside.[2] Boro were a mid-table Division Two at the time but despite Irvine becoming a regular goalscorer, they slumped to relegation in 1965-66. An instant return to Division Two was secured the following season, although QPR won the league title.
Irvine returned to Scotland in 1967, joining John Harvey's Heart of Midlothian. He appeared in his first major final in his first season with the Maroons, after playing in every match on route to the 1967-68 Scottish Cup final. However, Dunfermline proved too strong in the Hampden showpiece, winning 3-1. His following two seasons were decimated by a series of injuries [1] and he was released in 1970. He joined Division Four Barrow but hung up his boots when they were voted out of the Football League in 1972.
After his playing retirement he returned to Bathgate, where he found work as a spray-painter.[1] His son Alan later played with Falkirk, Liverpool, Dundee United and Shrewsbury Town in the mid-1980s.