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Fullname: James William Welford
aka: Jimmy Welford, James Welford, Jim Welford, John Welford
Born: 27 March 1869
Died: 17 January 1945
Birthplace: Barnard Castle, County Durham, England
Signed: 3 May 1897 (from Aston Villa)
Left: 24 February 1900 (to Distillery)
Position: Right-back/Defence
Debut: Celtic 1-4 Rangers, Charity Cup (neutral venue), 11 May 1897
Internationals: none
Biog
(note: Jim Welford’s real name is James Welford but for some reason (likely by error) he has also been referred to as John Welford in some places)
A charging right-back Englishman Jim Welford was a surprise capture by Celtic in May 1897 from Aston Villa (where he had won the FA Cup in 1895). Tom Maley had gone to Birmingham to bring back Johnny Campbell but returned to Celtic not only with him but also with Jack Reynolds & Jim Welford.
Jim Welford made his debut in a 4-1 Charity Cup final defeat to Rangers on May 11th 1897. After that disappointing start, he began to produce some steady performances. He also caught the eye with his tendency to quarrel with opponents, referees and even team-mates (especially Dan Doyle)! So words like dogged, rugged and determined were quite common in reference to him.
He was a mainstay in the side for the league season a Celtic on the league title in 1897-98, with Celtic going undefeated in the whole league campaign and conceding just 13 goals, a great sign of the value of Jim Welford as part of the defence.
Jim Welford made history when after Celtic’s 2-0 Scottish Cup final defeat of Rangers in April 1899 he became the first Englishman to hold both English and Scottish Cup winners medals. Quite a feat and a great historic mark for the man.
In truth, he arrived at Celtic likely past his best as he was then at an advanced age for the game. He was possibly seen as a stop-gap player able to provide stability and experience, but Celtic only lost three league games in all the matches he played in so he more then proved his worth.
His final spell with Celtic was disappointing after such a great run with the first team, with three draws & a defeat in his final four league games for Celtic. He deserved to sign off with Celtic with a better final result. He never managed to score for Celtic either which was disappointing to see but in some ways is a sure sign of a staunch defender.
Jim Welford, who had played first class cricket for Durham and Warwickshire (possibly only Celtic man to have done so), departed Celtic in February 1900 for Irish side Distillery after 44 appearances. He later played a couple of seasons for Hamilton Accies, helping them to the Scottish Division Two title in 1903-04.
He stayed on in Scotland, and was frequently seen at Celtic Park for games, something we can be proud of. He had helped Celtic to a league title & Scottish Cup which is something to take pride in.
He passed away in 1945 in Paisley, and sadly in the Wisden book (an annual cricketing almanac) they didn’t reference Celtic in their obituary of him but did mention his spell at Aston Villa. Something that should be rectified.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1897-1900 | 38 | 6 | – | – | 44 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Cup
Scottish League
Pictures
Links
Articles
From ‘An Alphabet of the Celts’ by McBride et al
His death notice in The Herald on Jan 19 1945
Wisden Obituary
https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/229837.html
WELFORD, JAMES W., who died in Glasgow on January 17, aged nearly 76, was best know as a full back in partnership with Robert Chatt when Aston Villa won the F.A. Cup in 1895, but he was a good cricketer. A native of Barnard Castle he played for Durham County from 1891, heading the batting averages in 1895, and making 153 against Staffordshire. Then he became qualified for Warwickshire and in 1896 averaged 23 for eleven matches, scoring his best innings, 118, at Leicester in May, the home county winning, after a great struggle, by one wicket. That was the extent of his first-class cricket, and he did not appear again for Durham.
From Wisden Cricketer’s Almanac 1945
WELFORD, JAMES W., who died in Glasgow on January 17, aged nearly 76, was best know as a full back in partnership with Robert Chatt when Aston Villa won the F.A. Cup in 1895, but he was a good cricketer. A native of Barnard Castle he played for Durham County from 1891, heading the batting averages in 1895, and making 153 against Staffordshire. Then he became qualified for Warwickshire and in 1896 averaged 23 for eleven matches, scoring his best innings, 118, at Leicester in May, the home county winning, after a great struggle, by one wicket. That was the extent of his first-class cricket, and he did not appear again for Durham.
David Potter’s Celtic Player of the Day, No.85 – James Welford
By David Potter 29 August, 2023 No Comments
[David Potter’s Celtic Player of the Day, No.85 – James Welford]
David Potter’s Celtic Player of the Day, No.85 – James Welford
James Welford is a remarkable character in Celtic history. He was the first Englishman to have won an English Cup medal and a Scottish Cup medal – a feat that has since been emulated by men like Joe Hart, for example – by winning the English Cup for Aston Villa in 1895 against West Brom at the Crystal Palace and then when he came to Scotland for Celtic against Rangers in 1899.
He is also the only Celtic player to have played First Class Cricket, which he did for Warwickshire.
He was one of the early Maley signings in 1897 with Willie’s brother Tom bringing him back from Aston Villa, and he immediately brought some solidity to the Celtic defence, so much so that they won the Scottish League in 1898.
Welford was a strong full back with words like “rugged“ often applied to him and Celtic did not concede many goals with him around.
He did not last long at Celtic Park, possibly because he did not always get on with tough characters like Dan Doyle and Barney Battles. He went to play in Irish football but then returned to play for Hamilton.
He also played cricket for Ferguslie in Paisley, and remained a solid Celtic supporter until his death in 1945.
David Potter