Name: James JonesBorn: 25 July 1928, Keady
Died: 13 February 2014
Height: 5.09½ st
Weight: 13.10 st
Position: Centre-Forward
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 3 Full Caps/1 Goal (1956/57); Irish League: 17 Caps/11 Goals (1948-1959).
Club Honours: (with Belfast Celtic) Irish League Champion 1947/48; City Cup Winner 1947/48, 1948/49; Gold Cup Winner 1947/48; (with Glenavon) Irish League Champion 1951/52, 1956/57, 1959/60; Irish Cup Winner 1956/57, 1958/59, 1960/61, Runner-Up 1954/55; City Cup Winner 1954/55, 1955/56, 1960/61; Gold Cup Winner 1953/54, 1955/56; Ulster Cup Winner 1954/55, 1958/59; (with Newry) Mid-Ulster Cup Winner 1964/65.
Awards: Football For All Unsung Hero Award 2009; NIFWA Hall of Fame Member 2011.
Club Career:
League Appearances/Goals by Season
1947/48 Belfast Celtic 22/25
1948/49 Belfast Celtic. 7/12
1951/52 Glenavon...... 22/29
1952/53 Glenavon...... 21/29
1953/54 Glenavon...... 21/32
1954/55 Glenavon...... 18/17
1955/56 Glenavon...... 18/27
1956/57 Glenavon...... 22/33
1957/58 Glenavon...... 20/23
1958/59 Glenavon...... 22/27
1959/60 Glenavon...... 21/28
1960/61 Glenavon...... 17/12
1961/62 Glenavon...... 20/18
1962/63 Portadown..... 14/ 8
1963/64 Bangor........ 20/12
Biography:
Jimmy Jones was the victim in one of the most shameful incidents in Irish League history. Following an ill-tempered Belfast Celtic-Linfield derby he was pushed over a wall by rampaging fans. The resultant broken leg ruled him out of football for over two years leaving him with one leg shorter than the other, and in the fall-out Belfast Celtic withdrew from the Irish League.
Jones returned to the playing field with Glenavon in 1951, his goals aiding them to the most successful period in their history. He still stands as the highest goalscorer in the history of the Irish game, his total of 646 domestic career goals unlikely to ever be surpassed. Amazingly it could still be asked: What might have been had he not been so brutally attacked on 27th December 1948?
More to follow.
Belfast Celtic Bio
Independent.ie
UEFA
Lurgan Mail
Irish FA
Independent Obituary
Northern Ireland Cap Details:
11-04-1956 Wales... A D 1-1 BC 1 Goal
06-10-1956 England. H D 1-1 BC
10-04-1957 Wales... H D 0-0 BC
Summary: 3/1. Won 0, Drew 3, Lost 0.
Irish League Representative Match Details:
-
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
Europe
|
Other
|
Sunnyside
|
(Lurgan)
|
-
|
Youth
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Glenavon
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Linfield
|
-
|
-
|
Trial
|
0/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Shankill.Young.Men
|
(Lurgan)
|
-45
|
Amateur
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Belfast
Celtic
|
47/48-48/49
|
-46
|
-
|
29/ 37
|
/ 6
|
-
|
/ 53
|
Larne
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Fulham
|
-
|
-51
|
£3,000
|
0/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Glenavon
|
51/52-61/62
|
-51
|
-
|
222/275
|
/35
|
4/1
|
-
|
Portadown
|
62/63
|
c/s-62
|
£500
|
19/ 8
|
1/ 0
|
2/1
|
6/ 5
|
Bangor
|
63/64
|
c/s-63
|
-
|
20/ 12
|
/ 2
|
-
|
-
|
Newry
Town
|
64/65
|
c/s-64
|
-
|
(Irish League B Division)
|
|||
TOTALS
|
-
|
£-
|
285/332
|
/43
|
6/2
|
/
|
|
1947/48 Belfast Celtic 22/25
1948/49 Belfast Celtic. 7/12
1951/52 Glenavon...... 22/29
1952/53 Glenavon...... 21/29
1953/54 Glenavon...... 21/32
1954/55 Glenavon...... 18/17
1955/56 Glenavon...... 18/27
1956/57 Glenavon...... 22/33
1957/58 Glenavon...... 20/23
1958/59 Glenavon...... 22/27
1959/60 Glenavon...... 21/28
1960/61 Glenavon...... 17/12
1961/62 Glenavon...... 20/18
1962/63 Portadown..... 14/ 8
1963/64 Bangor........ 20/12
Biography:
Jimmy Jones was the victim in one of the most shameful incidents in Irish League history. Following an ill-tempered Belfast Celtic-Linfield derby he was pushed over a wall by rampaging fans. The resultant broken leg ruled him out of football for over two years leaving him with one leg shorter than the other, and in the fall-out Belfast Celtic withdrew from the Irish League.
Jones returned to the playing field with Glenavon in 1951, his goals aiding them to the most successful period in their history. He still stands as the highest goalscorer in the history of the Irish game, his total of 646 domestic career goals unlikely to ever be surpassed. Amazingly it could still be asked: What might have been had he not been so brutally attacked on 27th December 1948?
More to follow.
Belfast Celtic Bio
Independent.ie
UEFA
Lurgan Mail
Irish FA
Independent Obituary
Northern Ireland Cap Details:
11-04-1956 Wales... A D 1-1 BC 1 Goal
06-10-1956 England. H D 1-1 BC
10-04-1957 Wales... H D 0-0 BC
Summary: 3/1. Won 0, Drew 3, Lost 0.
Irish League Representative Match Details:
-
Comments
League 19 games 8 goals
City Cup 6 games 5 goals
Europe 2 games 1 goal
Irish Cup 1 game 0 goals
Total 28 games 14 goals
Think I have 3 diaries belonging to this man James Jones.1948 1957 1958
Like to reunite them with some of his family or a club or fan who would enjoy having them and preserve his memory .
Jsmyth3326@aol.com