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Jimmy Gauld

Scottish footballer (1931-2004)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ3808420
Source-derived summary

James Gauld (9 May 1931 – 9 December 2004) was a Scottish footballer found out to have run a match-fixing scandal altering results in all of England's top 4 men's leagues. During his playing career, he played as an inside forward. He began his career with Aberdeen but failed to make a first team appearance before being released. Gauld went on to play in the Highland League for Huntly and Elgin City, and then played in the League of Ireland for Waterford. In his one season with the club, he finished as top goalscorer in the League of Ireland with 30 goals. His form led to a move to England in 1955, where he joined Charlton Athletic. Gauld was transferred to Everton the following year, and then joined Plymouth Argyle in 1957. Two seasons later, he was on the move again, joining Swindon Town for a club record fee.

In 1960, Gauld spent a brief period with St Johnstone and then moved to Mansfield Town, where a broken leg ended his career. It was after his playing days had finished that he gained notoriety for instigating and then exposing match fixing in the game.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Jimmy Gauld” as scottish footballer (1931-2004). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Jimmy, Gauld and Scottish.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1931, 2004, 1955, 1957—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1931-05-09. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Jimmy, Gauld and Scottish providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Jimmy Gauld”, the useful work is to connect “scottish footballer (1931-2004)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3808420. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1931, 2004, 1955 and 1957.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Jimmy Gauld”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Jimmy Gauld primary sources, Jimmy Gauld archive and Jimmy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  3. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Jimmy Gauld” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.