Jimmy Ruffell

Who was Jimmy Ruffell?

James William Ruffell was an English footballer who played for West Ham United.

He was signed by West Ham United in March 1920, and he made his debut against Port Vale the following year.

He was an ever-present during the 1924-25 season, and went on to make 548 senior appearances for the Hammers, a record that wasn't beaten until Bobby Moore surpassed it in 1973. He scored a total of 166 goals, placing him above many of West Ham's finest strikers in the club's records, and was the club's top scorer for the 1927-28 and 1934-35 seasons. Despite this, he didn't score a single goal during the 1921-22, 1932–33 and 1936–37 seasons.

In 1923, he was part of the team that contested the first FA Cup Final to be staged at Wembley Stadium, known as The White Horse Final.

In April 1926 he made his England international debut in a 1–0 defeat by Scotland in Manchester. He played for England on another five occasions.

Ruffell left the east London club in 1937. He joined Aldershot for a short spell, playing his last game against Port Vale, the club he'd debuted against 17 years earlier.