James Hamilton (born 9 February 1976) is a Scottish retired footballer who played as a striker in a career that saw him appear for thirteen different league clubs, including Dundee, Heart of Midlothian, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Motherwell, Dunfermline Athletic and St Mirren in the top tier. Hamilton's only major honour in club football was winning the Scottish Cup with Hearts in 1998. He appeared for the Scotland under-21 team fourteen times, scoring six goals.
Career 1990s Born in Aberdeen and a product of the Highland Football League, Hamilton began his senior career as a part-time player with Banffshire club Keith, before moving to Premier Division side Dundee in January 1994.Played for both Dundee and Motherwell – Jim Hamilton, Dundee FC, 25 August 2016 He spent three years at Dens Park, during which time he established himself as a player to look out for in the future. He joined Heart of Midlothian in late 1996 and enjoyed a successful spell with them, scoring 33 goals in his two and a half years with the Edinburgh club and winning the Scottish Cup in 1998. He caught the attention of Aberdeen, and followed in the footsteps of his father (also named Jim Hamilton)Jim Hamilton , AFC Heritage Trust when he signed for them in March 1999. Hamilton cost the Dons £300,000, however his time at Pittodrie was to prove less productive as he made few appearances and scored only one league goal.Jim Hamilton , AFC Heritage Trust
2000s In January 2000, Dundee United signed him for £150,000, making them his fifth club to have played for. In November 2001, Hamilton became the first player in Scottish football to have a red card overturned after video evidence. In March 2003, Hamilton was told he could leave Tannadice, and due to transfer window restrictions, he surrendered his professional status to sign as an amateur for Dunfermline Athletic for the remainder of the season. Hamilton failed to win a full-time deal and signed for Scottish First Division side Ross County at the start of the 2003–04 season.
He made his return to the SPL in June 2004 when he signed for Livingston, becoming top scorer for 2004–05 with seven goals in fourteen starts for the Almondvale club. His career with Livingston was to prove short-lived, as Motherwell signed him in January and he only went on to score one goal for the Steelmen that season. The next season, he scored 11 goals in total, including the only goal in the 3–1 defeat to Celtic which won the SPL 'Goal of the Season' award, and later the SPL 'Goal of the Decade' Award.
On 29 August 2006, Hamilton re-signed for Dunfermline for an undisclosed fee, playing 34 games and scoring five goals before signing for SPL side St Mirren on 30 January 2008. After four months in Paisley, Hamilton signed a one-year contract extension.
He was released from his St Mirren contract at the end of the 2008–09 season, and signed for Partick Thistle on 9 July 2009 on a one-year contract. He scored his first goals for his new side when he scored twice in a 6–1 win at Forfar Athletic in the Scottish Challenge Cup second round. Hamilton was released by Partick Thistle in January 2010. After his release, Hamilton returned to Livingston, signing a short-term deal with the Almondvale side before being released at the end of the season.
2010s Into his third decade as a professional footballer, Hamilton joined Arbroath in July 2010 on a one-year deal but moved to East Fife the following January. In 2011, he began working with Total.
International career Hamilton played 14 times for the Scotland under-21 side,(Scotland U21 player) Hamilton, Jim], FitbaStats 11 of those selections while playing for Dundee, making him the club's most capped player at that level.
Personal life In addition to his father Jim who also played for Aberdeen and Dunfermline as well as East Fife, his son Robbie is an aspiring footballer who plays as a defender and signed a first professional contract with Hibernian in January 2021.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueScottish CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDundee1993–94Scottish Premier Division100000——101994–95Scottish First Division28122100—4034131995–96Scottish First Division33141032—3340191996–97Scottish First Division121—45—31197Total74273177001049439Heart of Midlothian1996–97Scottish Premier Division17531———2061997–98Scottish Premier Division32145130——40151998–99Scottish Premier League256113142—3310Total7425936142009331Aberdeen1998–99Scottish Premier League71————711999–2000Scottish Premier League70—10——80Total14100100000151Dundee United1999–2000Scottish Premier League13133———1642000–01Scottish Premier League2023010——2422001–02Scottish Premier League2451031——2862002–03Scottish Premier League1341120——165Total7012846100008417Dunfermline Athletic2002–03Scottish Premier League20————20Ross County2003–04Scottish First Division205—20—22247Livingston2004–05Scottish Premier League2141033——257Motherwell2004–05Scottish Premier League141————1412005–06Scottish Premier League34101031——38112006–07Scottish Premier League30—00——30Total5111103100005512Dunfermline Athletic2006–07Scottish Premier League2524110——3032007–08Scottish First Division21310102120274Total46551202120577St Mirren2007–08Scottish Premier League151————1512008–09Scottish Premier League2333220——285Total38432200000436Partick Thistle2009–10Scottish First Division900020—22132Livingston2009–10Scottish Third Division1120000—00112Arbroath2010–11Scottish Third Division700000—0070East Fife2010–11Scottish Second Division910000—0091Career total446973011341363168532132
Honours Dundee Scottish Challenge Cup: runner-up 1994–95 Scottish League Cup: runner-up 1995–96
Heart of Midlothian Scottish Cup: winner 1997–98
Dunfermline Athletic Scottish Cup: runner-up 2006–07
References
External links
Profile at londonhearts.com