[citation needed] 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.

He followed it up by scoring the winning goal in the quarterfinals against another top-flight side, Newcastle United,[10] 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.

After a spell playing for Chicago Sting in the North American Soccer League,[13] he returned to Prenton Park and remained at the club before joining non-League Stafford Rangers in 1978.

[14] Speaking in 2016, a Port Vale supporter who remembered seeing James play compared him to a Duracell battery due to his high stamina levels.