Jim McCarthy

Name: James McCarthy
Born: 14 September 1911
Died: 14 September 1986
Position: Centre-Half

Representative Honours: Ireland: 5 Amateur Caps (1937-1939); London FA Representative; Athenian League Representative; Hertfordshire County Representative; British Army Representative.
Club Honours: (with Barnet) London Senior Cup Winner 1938, 1941; Hertfordshire Senior Cup Winner; Herts Charity Cup Winner.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Barnet	34/35-45/46	-	Amateur	(Athenian League)
Edgeware Town	-	-	Amateur	(Corinthian League)
TOTALS			£0	-	-	-

Biography:
Jim McCarthy was a five times capped Ireland international centre-half. He spent more than a decade playing with Barnet, then a force in the Athenian League. McCarthy's best pre-Second World War season was perhaps 1937/38, when Barnet finished runners-up in the league, reached the Amateur Cup semi-final and won the London Senior Cup by defeating Leyton 4-0 in front of a 20,000 crowd at Highbury. An Irish Guard, during the War McCarthy's playing appearances were somewhat sporadic, though he did appear in the 1941 London Senior Cup Final, a 2-1 win over Metroplitan Police Athletic.

McCarthy was scouted at Barnet by the Ireland selectors during the 1936/37 season. He was the only player not attached to an Irish League club that appeared in the Amateur team that defeated England 5-1 at Solitude. A regular in the Irish side right up to the outbreak of the War, he was given the honour of replacing Bertie Fulton as captain for a match against Scotland in April 1939, the last prior to the suspension of football for the duration of hostilities. A contemporary in the Amateur international team was club-mate Dennis Kelleher, indeed the pair actually travelled to Belfast with the England squad and the Barnet secretary for a match in Belfast in 1939.

As well as playing his country at Amateur level, McCarthy also represented the Athenian League against teams in Liege and France; the London FA against the Birmingham FA at Villa Park; the British Army and Hertfordshire County. After leaving Barnet following around 195 games and scoring 22 goals, McCarthy played with Edgware Town. In 1948 he featured in the Edgware side that appeared in their only London Senior Cup Final, a 2-0 defeat by Leytonstone. That same season he also appeared in Corinthian League Memorial Shield Final defeat by Erith & Belvedere.

Edgware Town Historic Games

Ireland Amateur Cap Details:
13-02-1937 England. H W 5-1
21-04-1937 Scotland A L 0-3
19-02-1938 England. A D 1-1
18-02-1939 England. H L 0-1
19-04-1939 Scotland A D 1-1

Summary: 5/0. Won 1, Drew 2, Lost 2.

With thanks to Neil Thompson, Jim McCarthy's nephew, for the picture and biographical information.