Jimmy Scarratt
{{Short description|English footballer (1868–1933)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Jimmy Scarratt
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = James Scarratt
| birth_date = 1868
| birth_place = Wellington, Shropshire, England
| death_date = {{death year and age|1933|1868}}
| height =
| position = Winger
| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Wellington St. George's
| years1 = 1891–1895| clubs1 = Burslem Port Vale| caps1 = 71| goals1 = 15
| totalcaps = 71| totalgoals = 15
}}
James Scarratt (1868–1933) was an English footballer who played as a winger for Burslem Port Vale in the early 1890s.
Career
Scarratt began his football career with Wellington St. George's, where he developed his skills as a winger.{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Jeff |title=Port Vale Personalities |publisher=Witan Books |year=1996 |page=260 |isbn=0-9529152-0-0}} In the summer of 1891, he joined Burslem Port Vale, where he quickly became a regular in the first XI.
On 19 September 1891, during a Midland League match against Loughborough, he walked off the pitch in the second half of a 7–1 victory at the Athletic Ground.{{cite web |title=Burslem Port Vale 7-1 Loughborough |url=https://www.port-vale.co.uk/history/match-reports/1891-92/ |website=Port Vale F.C. |access-date=26 March 2025}} Despite this incident, he remained an integral part of the team and was a member of the squad that won the Staffordshire Charity Cup in 1892.
Following Port Vale's acceptance into the Football League Second Division, Scarratt played 20 league matches in the 1892–93 season, scoring his first league goal in a 3–3 draw against Burton Swifts on 18 March 1893. He played in 27 of the club's 28 league matches in the 1893–94 season, netting seven goals.{{cite news |title=Second Division Results: 1893–94 Season |url=https://www.englishfootballstats.com/season/1893-94/second-division |publisher=English Football Stats |access-date=26 March 2025}}
During the 1894–95 season, Scarratt suffered a severe knee injury in a match on 17 November 1894, which sidelined him until March 1895. The injury hampered his form, limiting him to just 13 appearances that season. He managed to score once, in a 4–4 draw with Newcastle United.{{cite news |title=Port Vale 4-4 Newcastle United |url=https://www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk/sngl/ed21/port_vale_44_newcastle_united_1895 |publisher=Newcastle United Mad |access-date=26 March 2025}}
Upon his recovery, Scarratt struggled to regain his place in the squad and was released by Port Vale in the summer of 1895.
Personal life and legacy
Scarratt was born in England in 1868 and lived through a significant period in English football history, witnessing the sport's professionalization. Although his career was cut short by injury, he contributed to Port Vale's early Football League history. He passed away in 1933.{{cite book |title=The Victorian Footballer: Players of the 1890s |author=Edward Mason |year=2002 |publisher=Sporting Press |page=312}}
Career statistics
Source:{{ENFA}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| rowspan="5"|Burslem Port Vale | 1891–92 | Midland League | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 31 | 12 |
| 1892–93 | Second Division | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 2 | |
| 1893–94 | Second Division | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 9 | |
| 1894–95 | Second Division | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!71 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 98 | 24 |