Debut: 12/11/1892 v Notts County (North Road) 1-3 (League Division One)
Birthplace: Scotland
Previous clubs: Annebank
Height: 5' 7" (1.70m)
Farewell to Manchester United: Transferred to Fairfield FC, 05/1893, £
Weight: 11st 4lbs (71.67kg)
Passed Away: PA
When the Newton Heath directors came to the conclusion that William Mathieson was not cutting it on the left wing during the club's maiden Football League season in 1892-93, they went back to Scotland and signed a 5'7" replacement from Annbank called James Colville. He was automatically put in the side on November 12th, 1892, against Notts County and kept his place for five straight matches. Only an ankle injury when facing Bolton in mid-December ruined his run.
Colville returned in the new year to play another four league games and the same number in assorted cup competitions. However, he could not excel enough to hold on to a permanent spot. A scarcity of goals - he only got one (against Accrington) - did not help either, and he was released in the summer.
James had risen to prominence in Scotland in the late 1880s with Lanarkshire outfit Uddingston. In 1890, he moved to Annbank where he caught Newton Heath's eye. After his one year at North Road, James hooked up with Fairfield and enjoyed two campaigns in the Manchester League.
He tried to force his way back into the Football League with Notts County, but his trial was not deemed a success. Instead, Colville headed back north in the summer of 1895 to rejoin Annbank. Although they were a non-league team, he played several competitive games for them in the Scottish Cup.
Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude.
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