Storrie: James (Jim)

1962-1967 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Kirkintilloch, Lanarkshire: 31-03-1940

Debut v Stoke City (a): 18-08-1962

5’8 1/2” 11st 4lb (1963)

#47 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

Storrie began in Scottish junior football with Kilsyth Rangers, he then joined Airdrie in December 1957 where he was a prolific scorer, notching forty-eight goals in eighty-nine appearances in his three and a half year stay. Leeds bought him for £15,650 in June 1962 and he marked his debut with the winning goal at Stoke City on the opening day of the 1962-63 season. He finished that season as United’s leading scorer with twenty-five League goals. While Storrie played a vital part as Leeds won promotion from the Second Division in 1963-64 his season was restricted by injury. Because of Storrie’s absence, Leeds signed English International Alan Peacock and his goals helped United in the promotion run-in. However, it was Storrie’s goals that helped Leeds establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with on their return to Division One as he again topped the scorers with sixteen League goals in their first season in the top flight as United missed out on the Football League Championship on goal average and the FA Cup after extra-time in the Final. He was joint leading scorer in the League in the 1965-66 season along with Peter Lorimer on thirteen goals, It was the time when the United youngsters were cementing their places in the first team and in the first part of the 1966-67 season Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer kept Storrie’s appearances to just three in the run-on eleven and three more from the bench. In February 1967 he signed for Aberdeen for £13,500 and missed a penalty in that year’s Scottish Cup Final, when Celtic won 2-0. After three goals in thirteen appearances for the Dons he joined Rotherham United in December 1967 for £7,000. The hard working centre forward was brought to Millmoor with the hope of helping them to avoid relegation to Division Three, but he failed to achieve that objective managing just three goals. However, he was more successful in his second season becoming the leading scorer with fourteen League goals, four of them coming in the last four games as Tommy Docherty inspired the Millers. He played all his games in 1969/70 at inside right as he had done for the second half of the previous season when he helped to develop the young Steve Downes. At Millmoor he made seventy League starts, had one game from the bench and scored nineteen goals, while in the Cups he started twenty three times and scored four goals before he moved to Portsmouth in December 1969. He scored twelve goals in forty-three League games at Fratton Park. He began a loan spell with Aldershot in February 1972, where he scored once in five games, before joining St Mirren as player-coach in October of the same year. He scored three times in nine games for the Saints before he was on his travels again. Storrie was later player-manager of Waterlooville and became Manager of St Johnstone near the end of the 1975-76 season. The club were already doomed to relegation from Scotland’s top flight and their form slump continued the following season and they avoided further relegation with a win in the last game of the season, which was the culmination of a fine run-in which saw them gain fourteen points in the final fourteen games. He resigned early in the 1977-78 season as results did not improve. He rejoined his first club, Airdrie as coach and later work for fourteen years at a sports centre in Cumbernauld then at Stirling University until retirement. His father-in-law, Tony Weldon, played for Airdrie, Everton, Hull City, West Ham United, Lovells Athletic and Rochdale.