Hugall: James Cockburn (Jimmy)

1918-1918 (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Whitburn: 26-04-1889

Debut: v Bradford City (h): 23-11-18

5ft 11ins: 12st 2lb

Hugall started his football career with his local clubs, initially with Rectory Park Villa in the Hendon District League in Sunderland. In 1907 he moved to Sunderland St Stephen’s Co-operative FC (Sunderland Co-operative Wednesday and Sunderland Royal Rovers) and the following year onto the Whitburn club, in the Wearside League, before moving to Second Division Clapton Orient on 17th June 1910. He soon established himself as their goalkeeper, making his Football League debut against Stockport County on 31st December 1910. It took him until September 1914 to establish himself as Orients' first choice keeper, after several season's opposition from Billy Bower, however World War One soon put a temporary halt to his League career. He had made sixty-eight League appearances and one F.A. Cup appearances before WW1 caused the cessation of the Football League fixtures. He had played thirty-one League and one F.A. Cup game in the 1914-15. Like many Clapton Orient players he joined The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) 17th (Service) Battalion (1st Football) initially as corporal and rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant on 24th July 1916 in the 12th Service Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. He was wounded three times in action but recovered to return to football at the end of the War. He made forty-nine League appearances before the war and remarkably a further seventy-two League appearances after the War. He was wounded several times during the war. In December 1916 he stayed on leave in a Sunderland Convalescent home and, in May 1917, he injured his cheek just below the eye but quickly recovered. In September 1917 he was injured a second time and was a patient in the Denmark Hill Hospital. Almost immediately he appeared for Leeds City on 23rd November 1918 in a 2-1 win at Elland Road against Bradford City. Arrangements were made for Hugall to play a couple of times more for the Peacocks, but in the end he was restricted to that single game. After making five war-time appearances for Sunderland, Hugall returned to Clapton Orient on 26th June 1919 and missed only seven matches in the 1919-20 season. He made another seventy-two League appearances and had two more F.A. Cup games before leaving for Hamilton Academical at the end of the 1921-22 season, after losing his position to Arthur Wood. He had made one hundred and forty League and three F.A. Cup appearances. He made his debut for the Accies on 23rd September 1922 against Partick Thistle, when he displaced George Sommerville. He made seventeen consecutive League appearances for Hamilton Academical before George Sommerville regained his place. On 4th April 1923 he also appeared at Motherwell in the Lanarkshire Express Cup. At the end of the season he moved on to Third Division North Durham City, where he played thirty-five League and three F.A. Cup games times for them during 1923-24 season, before joining Non-League Seaham Colliery and Sunderland Co-operative Wednesday after the end of the season. He died at the Ashbrooks Nursing Home in Sunderland on 23rd September 1927, aged 38, after an operation. At the time of his death he was the manager of the George and Dragon Hotel in Sunderland.