Jimmy Leadbetter

Who was Jimmy Leadbetter?

James Hunter "Jimmy" Leadbetter was a Scottish footballer who is most notable for his achievements as a left-winger with Ipswich Town during the 1950s and 1960s.

He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 15 July 1928, as the son of a local garage owner. He was a pupil at Balgreen Primary School, where he was six years above Dave Mackay.

Leadbetter played for several non-league clubs in the immediate postwar years before signing for Chelsea in 1949. He failed to claim a regular place in the first team, playing just three games in as many years, before signing for Brighton and Hove Albion. He was a regular player at the Goldstone Ground and achieved a one-in-four goal-per-game ratio, which saw him established as one of the best wingers outside the First Division.

Scott Duncan signed him for Ipswich Town, then in the Football League Third Division South, in 1955. He continued his fine form at Portman Road and helped Ipswich win the division title in 1957, claiming promotion to the Second Division. In 1961, Leadbetter helped Ipswich claim promotion to the First Division, just 23 years after joining the Football League. Jimmy remains the only Scottish footballer to win English 3rd, 2nd and 1st Division championship medals with the same club.