After leaving school in Blairhall he served his time as a boilermaker with Balfour Beatty. A bad knee injury at Forfar kept him out for the whole of 1946—47 and much of 1947—48 after a cartilage operation. His confidence returned when he moved from inside-forward to full-back at Bradford City. He was kept in the background by Wally Taylor and Terry Reilly for much of the 1951—52 season but with both regular backs on the injured list he got his chance; despite pleasing performances he was given a free transfer at the end of the season. Jack was sent off at Prescot in a Lancashire Combination match on 4 September 1951 for an alleged remark to the linesman which the player denied uttering. He did not impress in the Reserves and first showed to greater advantage when in the League team.Not very big for a back, he was tenacious and strong in the tackle but a bad achilles tendon injury put paid to a full-time career. After retiring from League football he became an area supervisor with Kraft for many years and more recently was sales director for the Fife Creamery. Since retiringhe has been engaged in ambulance work and enjoys life — especially since recently entering a SAGA competition and winning a Volvo!

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9