Early life and career Constable was born in
Malmesbury, Wiltshire, and grew up in the town as a
Tottenham Hotspur supporter. He played for Malmesbury Youth before starting his career with
Cirencester Town after progressing through their youth system, playing for the academy and making several first-team appearances as a
substitute in the 2002–03 season. He progressed to being a regular in the team and signed for
Southern League Premier Division club
Chippenham Town in December 2003. While playing as a semi-professional at Chippenham, he worked in an undergarment lining factory. He eventually signed for
League One team Walsall on 21 November 2005 on
loan until 1 January 2006, when he would sign permanently for a fee of £4,000 on a contract until June 2007, having made 14 appearances and scored 8 goals for Chippenham up to that point in 2005–06. Constable scored two goals in seven minutes to help Walsall to a 2–0 victory over
Blackpool. His first appearance after signing permanently came in a 3–0 defeat to Bristol City on 2 January 2006. Chippenham failed in an attempt to re-sign Constable on loan for the remainder of 2005–06 in February 2006. He scored his last goal of 2005–06 with a shot from
Dean Keates' cross, which was the opening goal in a 1–1 draw with
Port Vale on 15 April 2006. He finished the season with 5 goals in 20 appearances for Walsall. having made nine appearances for Walsall up to that point in 2006–07. He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to
Stevenage Borough, He scored his first goal in the following match, a 3–1 victory over
Gravesend & Northfleet, with a "clinical finish" from a
Michael Blackwood cross. He scored two goals against
Stafford Rangers after he "coolly slotted home" and scored with "ease into the bottom-right corner", which gave Kidderminster a 2–1 victory on 26 December 2006. His
hat-trick in a 4–0 victory against
Vauxhall Motors in the first round of the FA Trophy in January 2007 was the first for a Kidderminster player since
Bo Henriksen in 2003. After impressing during the loan, He scored Kidderminster's equaliser in a 1–1 draw against
St Albans City on 24 March 2007, before being sent off for a "wild" challenge on
Ahmed Deen. In the
2007 FA Trophy final, Constable scored the first and second goals for an English club at the new
Wembley Stadium, although his efforts were in vain as Kidderminster lost 3–2 to Stevenage Borough. He finished the season as Kidderminster's top scorer with 16 goals in 32 appearances. after picking up a hamstring injury. He made his return in a 2–0 victory over
Ware in the FA Cup in November 2007, scoring the first goal with a shot from 18 yards. He was sent off in a 2–0 defeat against
Oxford United on 24 November 2007 for elbowing James Clarke, and after having an appeal rejected, was given a three-match suspension. He made his return in a 2–1 away win over
Hinckley United in the
Conference League Cup on 22 December 2007. being billed as "the striker to help Shrewsbury Town push for the play-offs." He made his debut two days later, coming on as a 50th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat to
Lincoln City. He made his first start in the next match on 12 February 2008, He scored one more goal before the end of the season, in a 3–0 victory over
Wrexham, which he finished with 14 appearances and 4 goals for Shrewsbury.
Oxford United Constable returned to the
Conference Premier after signing for Oxford United on 8 July 2008 on a season-long loan for 2008–09. He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat by
Barrow on 8 August 2008, scoring his first goals in a 6–3 victory over
Eastbourne Borough a week later, scoring twice and providing an
assist. He scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over
Northwich Victoria on 2 September 2008, which was Oxford's first away victory of the season. He did not miss any matches through this injury, playing in a 1–0 defeat to former club Kidderminster. Manager
Chris Wilder said in January 2009 he wanted to extend Constable's stay the club, claiming he "epitomises what I am trying to build here at the club". With regard to extending his stay at Oxford, Constable said he was "open to offers". He gathered further praise from Wilder later in the month and there were calls from Oxford fans for Constable to be signed permanently. Constable had a run of scoring five goals in as many matches from 28 December 2008 to 20 January 2009, which constituted four home victories for Oxford. He scored the winning goal for Oxford in a 1–0 victory over Wrexham on 11 April 2009 with a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time, which was described as "one of the most dramatic late goals in Oxford United's history". He finished the season with 49 appearances and 26 goals, Constable's permanent transfer to Oxford eventually took place on 28 April 2009, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. After the end of the season, he won the Conference Premier's Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards. He started
2009–10 with a "flood of goals", scoring 6 times in his first 11 appearances, with his first goals of the season coming in a 4–3 victory over Histon on 15 August 2009. However, following Chester's expulsion from the
Football Conference in March 2010, these goals were discounted from the records as their results were expunged. He said in February 2010 that he was considering stepping aside as Oxford's
penalty kick taker, having missed three over the season. Constable suffered an ankle injury in March 2010, meaning he missed three matches, with manager Wilder saying "I wouldn't put the long-term health of James in jeopardy". He made his return in a 0–0 draw with
Tamworth on 21 March 2010. He scored the second goal in the 2–0 victory over Rushden in the second leg, meaning the tie was won 3–1 on aggregate. He scored Oxford's second goal as they defeated
York City 3–1 in the
2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium to end their four-year exile from the Football League. At the Football Conference's Annual Presentation Dinner, he was named in the Conference Premier Team of the Year, having finished the season with 26 goals in 44 appearances. He played in Oxford's first Football League match since promotion, a 0–0 draw with Burton on 7 August. His first goals of the season came after he scored two in a 6–1 victory over League One team
Bristol Rovers on 10 August. Constable finished the season with 17 goals in 46 appearances. Oxford allowed Constable to talk to the club, although he refused the opportunity to discuss the move with Swindon manager
Paolo Di Canio.
Eastleigh in 2017 Having been one goal short of equalling Oxford's club record for goals scored of 107, Constable turned down a new contract with the club to sign for newly promoted Conference Premier team
Eastleigh on 21 May 2014 on a two-year contract. He made his debut in a 3–0 away victory over
Nuneaton Town on the opening day of 2014–15 on 9 August 2014. Constable joined
National League South club
Poole Town on 23 February 2018 on a one-month loan. He made his debut a day later, starting in a 1–0 defeat away to
Braintree Town. Constable re-joined Poole Town on 7 December 2018 on a one-month loan, with the club now in the Southern League Premier Division South. The loan was later extended until the end of the 2018–19 season. He announced his retirement from full-time football in February 2019.
Later career Constable signed for National League South club
Hungerford Town on 29 June 2019 as a player-coach. In October, while still a Hungerford player, he signed for ice hockey club
Oxford City Stars of the
NIHL South Division 1. He left Hungerford by mutual consent on 25 November. Constable signed for Southern League Premier Division Central club
Banbury United on 12 May 2020 as a player and as the assistant to newly appointed manager
Andy Whing. ==International career==