Jimmy McIlroy

James " Jimmy" McIlroy (born 25 October 1931 in Lambeg ) is a Northern Irish former football player.

Sports career

Club career

McIlroy started his professional career with Glentoran FC, ​​but moved at a young age in 1950 to Burnley FC in England. Shortly before his 19th birthday, he made his debut in October in the league match against Sunderland in the English elite series. In the following years he advanced to the side of Jimmy Adamson, John Angus and Brian Miller for regular players of the club and was part of the champion team of 1960, when a point clear at the Wolverhampton Wanderers for the second time in club history after 1921 the title was won. Two years later he stood beside Alex Elder, Jimmy Robson and John Connelly in the final of the FA Cup, the Tottenham Hotspur but with a 3-1 victory decided for themselves.

After twelve years in the Burnley FC Chairman Bob Lord sold it in January 1963, Stoke City. When releasing club It conducted protests by the supporters of the club, which subsequently partially boycotted the Games of the association. In Stoke City he stayed three years before he ended his career in the summer of 1968 at Oldham Athletic. Short term he tried later as a coach and served as the first non - Englishman in November 1970 for Bolton Wanderers. After 18 days in office replaced him Jimmy Meadows.

National team career

McIlroy made ​​his debut in 1951 in the Northern Ireland national team. With it, he qualified for the first time for the World Cup finals when the team who beat Italy and Portugal and reached the World Cup 1958. In the group stage, he came in all three regular games, and a playoff spot against the same national team of Czechoslovakia used. Had they won this 2-1 after extra time, the exhausted crew was two days later a chance against France at the 0:4 defeat. In 1965, he played the last of his 55 caps.