Jim Walker (footballer)
James McIntyre "Jim" Walker ( born June 10, 1947 in Northwich ) is a former English footballer. As a midfielder and left-back, he was first a substitute for the English first division club Derby County, before he matured the end of the 1970s to the regular player at third division FC Chester. After his playing career, he took the profession of physiotherapist, he practiced for 18 years, among others at Aston Villa.
Sports career
In the birthplace of Northwich Walker began his football career from the season 1966/67, as an amateur for Northwich Victoria, before moving to second division club Derby County in February 1968. It was agreed that the two clubs enter into formal negotiations when Derby County in Walker saw a player, because wanted to commit it permanently. In this case, Walker should first sign a professional contract in Northwich, so that in a subsequent transfer, a transfer fee becoming due. However, this agreement was not used and so Walker eventually switched for a "bargain price " to the trained by Brian Clough " Rams".
After a first league use on the final day of the 1967/68 season against FC Blackpool ( 1:3 ) was Walker in the first half of the following season in 1968/69 starting players in midfield before him ousted John McGovern. Thus it came to the turn of the year only rarely and often as a replacement for use and could not contribute significantly more to winning the second division championship and the associated rise in the excellence afford. As developed in Derby at the beginning of the 1970s, one of the leading English football clubs, Walker came only sporadically for the course and he owed his probation rare opportunities to its versatile applicability. In the spring of 1970, he helped out on loan at Clough's former club Hartlepools United in the fourth division. After his return, he graduated from Derby in the Champions 1971/72 season six league games - mostly on behalf of Alan Hinton - and overall, the proportion was too low for the official receipt of a champion medal. In the same year was the greater contribution in the Texaco Cup, as he stood, for example, in the final first leg at Airdrieonians FC (0-0 ) in the starting ( leg 2:1).
In September 1974 Walker Derby left after a total of 55 duty stakes and with the third division side Brighton & Hove Albion, he found a new employer. Trainer was there Clough's former assistant Peter Taylor and as part of the 25,000 -pound deal with Tommy Mason joined another derby players to the English south coast. In Brighton he was in the left side of midfield in the season 1974/75 first team regular in 27 league matches, he scored four goals. In the 1975/76 season only followed one league appearance and already in October 1975, he signed on loan in February 1976, and permanently for £ 6,000 at Premier League rivals Peterborough United. But the stay in Peterborough did not last long, so he went to Chester FC in November 1976.
The return home Cheshire was in many ways a godsend for Walker. Coaches in Chester was his close friend Alan Oakes and during his school days he had often attended games of the club. In the five years to 1981 he was a regular player on the left -back position and was the team with Ian Rush, Ian Edwards, Ian Mellor and Trevor Storton, Bob Delgado and Nigel Edwards some prominent names in their ranks. With the fifth rank in the third league season 1977/78 reached Chester its highest position in the club's history and this came two fifth- round defeats in the FA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers ( 1976/ 77) and Ipswich Town ( 1979/ 80). An injury to the Achilles tendon caused ultimately for the career end of the now 34 -year-olds.
After the active career
Following the footballer career Walker remained in Chester, where he was active as a physiotherapist from now. For this he later helped temporarily as a coach and in a summer he was in the city center in the club shop behind the counter. From 1983 he worked at the side of Dave Mackay in Kuwait for al -Arabi and after two years he returned to Britain to take up a job as a physical therapist at Blackburn Rovers and in 1986 at Aston Villa.
18 years he remained in that capacity at the "Villans " before he Wizard of Paul Merson at Walsall FC was founded in 2004. Two years later he was briefly re- employed as a physical therapist at Peterborough United. Then he left the football business to work near Sutton Coldfield on the Golfsportanlage The Belfry.
Title / Awards
- Texaco Cup ( 1): 1972