Port Vale James began his career in his native
Staffordshire with
Port Vale, turning professional in April 1966. Initially a
defender,
manager Gordon Lee converted him into a
striker. On 21 February 1970, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over
Bradford (Park Avenue). His goals were crucial to the club,
top scorer in both 1969–70 and
1970–71 with 17 and 15 goals respectively. playing his first game alongside fellow home debutant
Reg Matthewson in a 5–0 win over
Darlington, that saw James amongst the scorers. but his most memorable campaign would follow in
1974–75. He formed an extremely effective
strike partnership with
Derek Draper. James struck 13 times as Chester won promotion from the Fourth Division, but he was to enjoy national fame thanks to his goalscoring exploits in the
League Cup during the same season. After wins over
Walsall,
Blackpool and
Preston North End, Chester were drawn at home to
First Division champions
Leeds United. On a momentous night, Chester recorded a shock 3–0 win, with James scoring twice. He followed it up by scoring the winning goal in the quarterfinals against another top-flight side,
Newcastle United, to set up a semi–final tie with
Aston Villa. James found the net in the second leg to level the
aggregate score at 4–4, only for
Brian Little to grab a late Villa winner and break Chester's hearts.
Tranmere Rovers Despite his contribution to Chester's success, James played just two first–team games for Chester after promotion. He joined neighbours
Tranmere Rovers in part-exchange for
Paul Crossley in September 1975. Once more promotion from the Fourth Division was enjoyed, with James netting 19 times in 38 league games. After a spell playing for
Chicago Sting in the
North American Soccer League, he returned to
Prenton Park and remained at the club before joining
non-League Stafford Rangers in 1978. ==Style of play==