 He was, along with Lee Cartwright, Lee Ashcroft and Adrian Hughes, a product of the Preston North End youth system of the late 1980s.A left sided defender or midfielder, James made his Preston debut in August 1990 in a 2-0 win over Chester City at Deepdale.He went on to play 41 games, scoring twice, for the Lilywhites in his first season in the first team.