James Mitchell

James Frederick Mitchell, also known as Jim Mitchell, and sometimes Fred Mitchell, (18 November 1897 – 30 May 1975) was an English footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a goalkeeper. Mitchell played professionally for five different clubs – Blackpool, Northern Nomads, Preston North End, Manchester City and Leicester City – across two different leagues – the Football League and Lancashire Combination. Mitchell played in the 1922 FA Cup final and also earned one cap for the England national side in 1924.

Early life Mitchell was born in Manchester on 18 November 1897, and he attended Arnold School and Manchester University.

Professional career Mitchell spent time with a number of different clubs including Blackpool, Northern Nomads, Preston North End, Manchester City and Leicester City.

Mitchell's career was interrupted by the First World War. He played for Blackpool in the first nine games of the 1915–16, in the Principal Competition, Lancashire Section, after which Kidd took over for the remaining 27 games. After the war, he joined Northern Nomads who played in the Lancashire Combination.

Mitchell returned to the Football League when he was signed by Preston North End in 1920. In his first season with the club, he played just seven matches, five of them in the league.

Mitchell left Preston in 1922 to join Manchester City and between 1922 and 1926, he played a total of 109 games for Manchester City, 99 of them in the Football League. He played 17 times in the league as Manchester City were relegated to the Football League Second Division at the end of the 1925–26 campaign. After leaving the club in 1926, Mitchell spent one season with Leicester City. However, he failed to make a first team appearance for the club, The match, which was held at the Goodison Park stadium in Liverpool, was part of the 1925 British Home Championship.

Later life Mitchell died at the age of 77 on 30 May 1975.

Honours Preston North End FA Cup runner-up: 1921–22