Eston near Middlesborough. 1883

Forward

Middlesbrough-born Jim ‘Daisy’ Bell was an outstanding talent in Exeter’s City early professional days in the Southern League. Having played for his home town club in the Football League, he arrived from Barrow in 1908 and playing in Exeter’s first-ever Southern League game he netted twice ahead of scoring 51 times in 105 league games with another dozen goals in FA Cup ties (including six in a game against Weymouth). Remembered as Exeter's leading scorer in the Southern League era, he left for Portsmouth in 1911 and later played in America. 

A prolific goal scorer for the Grecians scoring 63 goals from 119 league and cup games - a ratio of goal every 1.88 games - he topped the scoring charts in all three of the seasons he spent at St James’ Park with 22, 15 and 14 Southern League goals respectively. He also scored six times in the Grecians' first-ever FA Cup tie - a 14-0 victory over Weymouth on 3 October 1908 - and later became the first City player to score a hat-trick in a Southern League match when he achieved the feat against Leyton on 13 February 1909..

Born in Eston, a village near Middlesbrough, Jim joined Grangetown at the age of 16. Three years later, in 1904, he was snapped up by Middlesbrough where he scored four goals in 10 Football League appearances. With the arrival of Alf Common, who commanded the first £1,000 transfer fee, he was soon on the move to Barrow of the Lancashire Combination where he scored 34 times in 78 games.

It was from Barrow that the Grecians secured Jim's signature in 1908 and, with those 63 goals, he provided marvellous value before moving to Portsmouth at the end of the 1910/11 season from where - after just four games (two goals) - he returned to Barrow to become a regular scorer through the war years until 1920 when he was appointed reserve team coach at Scunthorpe and Lindsey United. Initially also playing for the first-team in emergencies he had moved on by 1924 when, at the age of forty, he was playing semi-professionally in America alongside working with General Motors in Michigan. Jim then returned to Britain to work in the company's Vauxhall plant in Luton.

According to his son Terry, the nickname of "Daisy" came from the 1890s song "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" with the chorus "Daisy, Daisy Give me your answer, do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you".

Jim Bell died in 1962.

Exeter City

League 105, FA Cup 14 (119)

Plus 3 games in the Southern Charity Cup

Career Record

Complete  Record		League		FA Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grangetown	1900-04
Middlesbrough	1904-05	10	4					10	4
Eston United	1905-06
Barrow	1906-08							78	34
Exeter City	1908-11	105	51	14	12	3	0	122	63
Portsmouth	1911							4	2
Barrow	1911-1917							146	78

Exeter City

League 51, FA Cup 12 (63)