James Davidson Gibson (12 June 1901 â 1 January 1978) was a Scottish footballer who played for Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Ashfield, Partick Thistle and Aston Villa. His career spanned 19 years, from 1917 to 1936.
Gibson played right-half and was regarded as one of the best players in that position at that time. He played almost 200 games for Partick before a transfer to Aston Villa for a then-record fee of ã7,500. He made 227 appearances for Aston Villa, during which time they were runners-up in the Football League twice (1930âÂÂ31 and 1932âÂÂ33) but were relegated in his final season with the club, 1935âÂÂ36.
He was capped eight times by Scotland; The highlight of his career was when he partnered Jimmy McMullan (his former Partick Thistle teammate) in the dominant Scottish midfield of the "Wembley Wizards" that defeated England 5âÂÂ1 in 1928. He also played twice for the Scottish Football League XI.
His father Neilly Gibson was also a Scottish international, who too played for Partick Thistle though mainly for Rangers, while brothers Neil and Willie were also footballers.