Biography
James Linsley Wood was born in Byker, an industrial suburb to the east of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and had played for Close Works FC before moving to Leeds in November 1921 to play for West Riding League side Methley Perseverance. Within a month he was attracting the attention of several league sides and Hull City were successful in securing his signature. Wood spent a year in the Reserves and soon had a reputation for his goals and his bubbling temperament that occasionally spilled over. Nevertheless he was given his first team debut a year after his signing, in a festive League match against Manchester United during the dying days of manager Percy Lewis’s tenure at City. Wood celebrated his debut with a goal as City won 2-1, and when the Tigers and Red Devils clashed again a week later in the return fixture Wood again started and scored as Manchester United won 3-2. A week later City played West Ham in the FA Cup, days after Lewis had resigned, and Wood performed poorly as City lost 2-3. When Newcastle’s Irish international defender Bill McCracken took over as City manager in February 1923 he preferred Scotsman George Martin in the centre forward position and Wood played no further first team games.
In the 1923 close season Wood left Hull City and returned to the North East, playing in the non-league scene for three seasons. By the end of the 1930s Wood was living in the Shieldfield area of Newcastle Upon Tyne and working as a sheet metal worker. He died in Newcastle in 1982.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 15 January 1901, Byker
Hull City First Game: 30 December 1922, Manchester United H (Division Two), 21 years, 349 days old
Hull City Final Game: 13 January 1923, West Ham United H (FA Cup First Round), 21 years, 363 days old
Clubs
Close Works FC, Methley Perseverance (1921), Hull City (1921-1923), Bedlington United (1923-1924), Jarrow (1924-1925), Workington (1925)
Hull City Record
Career: 3 apps, 2 goals
James Wood| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921/22 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1922/23 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |