James Constable

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. He made his debut in a 3–1 defeat to Tiverton Town on 1 January 2004, scoring in the following match against Nuneaton Borough with the opening goal in a 1–1 draw He finished 2003–04 with 19 appearances and 9 goals for Chippenham. He made 37 appearances and scored 13 goals in 2004–05. He scored for Chippenham with the opening goal in a 1–1 draw against Worcester City in the FA Cup first round in November 2005. While playing as a semi-professional at Chippenham, he worked in an undergarment lining factory.

Walsall

Football League clubs Bristol City, Swansea City, Swindon Town and Walsall all made enquiries for Constable in November 2005. 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. He made his debut as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 1–0 victory over AFC…

Constable was named in the England national C team, who represent England at non-League level, in November 2007, for a 2007–09 International Challenge Trophy match against Finland. He made his debut after starting the match and England won 2–0. He was called up again in October 2008 for a match against Italy, scoring the goal that sent England to the International Challenge Trophy final in a 2–2 draw at the Stadio Santa Colomba. Constable was called up to the team for this match against the Belgium under-21 team, saying "It's an incredibly proud feeling to be representing my country at this level." He started the match, which was played at Oxford's Kassam Stadium, and England lost 1–0, during which he had a frustrating performance. He earned three caps and scored one goal for England C from 2007 to 2009.

Constable plays as a striker and is "a big, powerful frontman with bags of pace". He has been described as being a prolific goalscorer, leading to remarks of him being a "hot-shot" and a "goal machine". He was described as a "young, hungry player with bags of potential" by Kidderminster manager Mark Yates in 2007. His strike partnership at Oxford United with Matt Green and Jamie Cook was described as "devastating" in 2009.

In September 2023, Constable returned to former club Oxford United as Head of Player Care in the club's academy. He became first-team player liaison manager in July 2024.