Signing Info:
Transferred from: Kings Park FC, 10/1900, £
Previous Clubs:
East Stirlingshire, St. Bernard`s FC, Aston Villa, Kings Park FC
Debut:
20/10/1900 v Walsall (Bank Street) 1-1 (League Division Two)
Farewell:
Transferred to ?, 01/1902, £
Passed Away:
08/02/1921
Biography
"No man ever gave greater promise in an international trial match, and in first class football no player ever cut such a miserable figure" - That was what one newspaper said of James Fisher on the day he was signed by Newton Heath!
Born Albert James Fisher but popularly named 'Cud', Fisher was a forward prodigy in his younger days. King's Park unearthed him from junior side Vale of Forth, and he represented the Scottish non-league outfit from 1891-92 until 1894-95. This was followed by one season with East Stirlingshire in 1895-96.
His star rising, he was then set to join Stoke until an official from St. Bernard's - a Scottish top flight team at the time - followed him all the way to Staffordshire and signed him right under Stoke's nose. Fisher continued to excel in 1896-97 until Aston Villa - the Champions of England, no less - signed him in May 1897 "with a flourish of trumpets". At first, all this was justified. Cud made his debut against Sheffield Wednesday as a centre-forward then notched three goals in the next three games. But soon the promise faded and he was in and out of the lineup throughout 1897-98.
No worries - it was now the turn of the Scottish champions, Celtic, to sign him, paying a "three- figure sum" for his services. Fisher made his debut against St. Mirren on September 3rd, 1898. Unfortunately, for all his pace, he suffered from an inability to cross with much accuracy, and he ended up playing a mere 10 league games for the Bhoys, scoring three goals.
Instead, he was loaned to Preston North End in 1898-99, East Stirlingshire in 1899-00, and King' Park in 1900-01. It was now that Newton Heath came in for him, his "three-figure sum" having plummeted to £20! Cud accordingly made his Heathen debut on October 20th, 1900, initially as an inside-forward.
Soon, however, he found his niche at outside-left. From New Year's Day 1901 and for a year and three days later, he did not miss a single match.
Ironically, his greatest strength now seemed to be his "accurate centering", which had obviously improved since his Celtic days. Alas, his scoring ability had not, Fisher only finding the net three times in Heath's colours. At the time, he resided locally at 427 Ashton New Road.
When the Newton Heath football club was wound up in court in January 1902, all the players' contracts were torn, meaning they were free to move anywhere else. In effect, all the players remained loyal to the club... bar Fisher. He brought to an abrupt end his run of 34 consecutive league outings to return to King' Park, whom he served for just over a year.
Cud later appeared for Vale of Leithen in 1902-03 then Fulham of the Southern League in 1903-04, before attempting a return to the Football League with Glossop in November 1903. Interestingly, his registration was still held by the newly-renamed Manchester United at the time of the move. Alas, Fisher "did not create a good impression" with Glossop and, after only three games, he moved on to Woodville United in 1903-04, and, finally, Gray United. After serving with the Royal Engineers during WWI, Fisher passed away aged only 44 in City Hospital in Edinburgh in February 1921. Thanks to Charbel Boujaoude for his tireless efforts & the correct information on Albert James "Cud" Fisher. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude.
