Jimmy Hill (footballer, born 1935)

Last updated

Jimmy Hill
Personal information
Full name Matthew James Hill [1]
Date of birth (1935-10-31) 31 October 1935 (age 88) [1]
Place of birth Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland [1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [1]
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
Carrick Rangers
1953–1957 Linfield
1957–1959 Newcastle United 11 (2)
1959–1963 Norwich City 161 (55)
1963–1965 Everton 7 (1)
1965–1968 Port Vale 63 (8)
1968–1971 Derry City
Total242+(66+)
International career
1953 Northern Ireland Amateurs 1 (0)
1956–1958 Irish League 6 (0)
1957–1960 Northern Ireland B 2 (0)
1959–1963 Northern Ireland 7 (0)
Managerial career
1968–1971 Derry City
1971–1972 Linfield
1988–1991 Carrick Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Norwich City F.C. in 1959 with - from left, standing: Roy McCrohan, Ralph Hunt, Ken Nethercott, Barry Butler, Ron Ashman, Matt Crowe; crouched from left: Errol Crossan, Terry Allcock, Terry Bly, Jimmy Hill and Bobby Brennan. Norwich City FC 1959.jpg
Norwich City F.C. in 1959 with – from left, standing: Roy McCrohan, Ralph Hunt, Ken Nethercott, Barry Butler, Ron Ashman, Matt Crowe; crouched from left: Errol Crossan, Terry Allcock, Terry Bly, Jimmy Hill and Bobby Brennan.

Matthew James Hill (born 31 October 1935) is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager. A winger, he scored 66 goals in 242 league appearances in an 11-year career in the Football League. He also won seven caps for Northern Ireland.

Contents

He played for Carrick Rangers and then Linfield, winning three Irish League titles before joining English club Newcastle United in 1957. Two years later he moved on to Norwich City, and helped the "Canaries" to win promotion out of the Third Division in 1959–60 and then to lift the League Cup in 1962. He was transferred to Everton for a £25,000 fee in 1963, but struggled with injury before being moved on to Port Vale for a £5,000 fee in October 1965. He left the club in January 1968 to become player-manager at Derry City. As a manager, he led Derry to second in the league in 1968–69 and to the 1971 Irish Cup final. He then managed Linfield for one season before embarking on a 16-year break from the game in 1972. He returned to manage Carrick Rangers from November 1988 to February 1991.

Club career

Hill played for hometown club Carrick Rangers before joining Linfield. He won three successive Irish League titles at Windsor Park, in 1953–54, 1954–55, and 1955–56. He joined Newcastle United in part-exchange for Jackie Milburn in 1957. The "Magpies" struggled in the lower half of the First Division table in the 1957–58 season, and finished just one point above the relegation zone. They then improved to finish 11th in 1958–59, but Hill never settled in at St James' Park, scoring two goals in just 11 league games. He moved on to Norwich City, and helped Archie Macaulay's "Canaries" to win promotion out of the Third Division in second place in 1959–60; Hill and Terry Allcock were the club's top-scorers with 16 goals. Norwich finished fourth in the Second Division in 1960–61, nine points short of a second-successive promotion. New manager Willie Reid led the club to 17th in 1961–62, though Norwich found greater success in the League Cup. Norwich won the 1962 Football League Cup final with a 4–0 aggregate victory over Rochdale, Hill scoring the only goal of the second leg at Carrow Road. He left the club after a comfortable mid-table finish in 1962–63.

Everton manager Harry Catterick paid a £25,000 fee for Hill's signature in preparation for the 1963–64 season. However, his career never took off at Goodison Park, and he played just seven league games for the title challenging "Toffees". Hill was signed by Port Vale manager Jackie Mudie for a £5,000 fee in October 1965. [2] He scored four goals in 24 appearances in the 1965–66 season, as the "Valiants" struggled in the lower half of the Fourth Division table. [2] He scored seven goals in 39 games in the 1966–67 season but scored one goal in only nine appearances in the 1967–68 campaign as Stanley Matthews's time at the helm at Vale Park proved to be unsuccessful. [2]

International career

Hill won his first cap for the Northern Ireland senior team on 22 April 1959, in a 4–1 victory over Wales. [1] He won further caps against Wales, West Germany, Scotland (2), and Spain, before winning his seventh and final cap in an 8–3 defeat to England on 20 November 1963. [1]

Management career

Hill returned to the Irish League as player-manager of Derry City in 1968, guiding them to runners-up spot in the Irish League in 1968–69. He then led the "Candystripes" to fifth place in 1969–70 and ninth in 1970–71. He took Derry to the final of the Irish Cup at Windsor Park in 1971, where they were beaten 3–0 by Distillery. He then left Brandywell for the management position at Linfield. He took the club to fourth place in 1971–72, before resigning his position at Windsor Park for personal reasons. Hill ran a sportshop in his native Carrickfergus for 20 years, before taking the job as Carrick Rangers manager in November 1988. [1] He led the "Gers" to eighth place in 1988–89 and tenth place in 1989–90, before he resigned from his post at Taylors Avenue in February 1991 as the club headed for a second-from-bottom finish in 1990–91.

Career statistics

Club statistics

Source: [3]

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueFA CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newcastle United 1957–58 First Division 1120000112
Norwich City 1958–59 Third Division 3311112004413
1959–60 Third Division381620004016
1960–61 Second Division 31941003510
1961–62 Second Division31631644011
1962–63 Second Division281351323616
Total161552559619566
Everton 1963–64 First Division71000071
Port Vale 1965–66 Fourth Division 2014200243
1966–67 Fourth Division3663100397
1967–68 Fourth Division71002091
Total68873207711
Career total2426632811628580

International statistics

Northern Ireland national team [4]
YearAppsGoals
195910
196020
196110
196330
Total70

Honours

Norwich City

Derry City

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena United F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the Irish Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds. The club has been managed by former captain Jim Ervin since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungannon Swifts F.C.</span> Football club

Dungannon Swifts Football Club is a Northern Irish, semi-professional football club playing in the Irish League Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the Irish League First Division in 1997. Dungannon earned promotion from Irish League First Division to the Premier Division in the 2002–03 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballinamallard United F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Ballinamallard United Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, re-formed in 1975 after being dormant since the 1960s, hails from Ballinamallard, near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, and plays its home matches at Ferney Park. Club colours are all royal blue (home), and all white (away).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Healy (footballer)</span> Northern Irish footballer & manager

David Jonathan Healy is a Northern Irish former professional footballer and now football manager who is in charge at NIFL Premiership club Linfield.

Robert William Fleck is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. Fleck played as a striker from 1983 until 2001, notably in the Scottish Premier League for Rangers, in England for Chelsea in the FA Premier League, and for Norwich City in the Football League.

William Laurence Bingham was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager.

David Thomas Kelly, also known by the nickname Ned Kelly, is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer and football coach. He scored nine goals in 26 international games for the Republic of Ireland, and was a squad member for UEFA Euro 1988, the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. A forward, he scored a total of 250 goals in 744 league and cup appearances in a 19-year career in professional football.

Dale Andrew Gordon is a former professional association footballer who played predominantly as a right-sided midfielder for Norwich City, Rangers, West Ham United, Peterborough United, Millwall and AFC Bournemouth.

Kevin Smith Drinkell is an English former professional football player and manager. Drinkell was a centre forward, noted for his aerial ability and the number of headed goals he scored as a result.

Andrew William Smith is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and coach who is now the manager of Finnish Veikkausliiga club Haka. He had a 16-year career playing professional and semi-professional football in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Belgium, and Portugal. He also won 18 caps for Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2005 and one cap for the Northern Ireland B team in 2003.

Liam Coyle is a former Northern Irish footballer.

Felix Healy is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and singer who played for Coleraine and then became a football manager. He has also worked as a media pundit and is currently part of the management team at First Division club Finn Harps, taking on the role of Director of football alongside manager Peter Hutton.

Neil James Adams is an English former professional footballer and former manager of Norwich City. He played as a midfielder for Stoke City, Everton, Oldham Athletic and Norwich City. He is currently the Assistant Sporting Director for Norwich City, having previously held the role of Loans Manager since 2015.

John Tony Miller was an English footballer, described by Jeff Kent as an "exciting right winger who provided pinpoint crosses". He scored 23 goals in 213 league games in a 14-year career in the Football League playing for Ipswich Town, Norwich City, Mansfield Town, and Port Vale. He was promoted out of the Second Division with Norwich City in 1974–75, and won the Third Division with Mansfield Town in 1976–77.

Noel Kinsey was a Welsh international footballer who played as an inside right. He won seven international caps and scored 111 goals in 444 league games in a 14-year career in the Football League.

John Terence Harkin is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He scored 125 goals in 260 league games in nine seasons in the Football League. He also scored 66 goals in 142 games in the League of Ireland, and scored five goals in 11 North American Soccer League games. At international level, he made five appearances scoring two goals for the Northern Ireland national team.

John Douglas Rowland was an English footballer who was known for his powerful 'hammer shot'. A forward, he scored 62 goals in 250 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League.

Eric Magee is a Northern Irish former footballer who played as a forward for Glenavon, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, and Linfield. He helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70.

Irish League football clubs have participated in European football competitions since 1957, when in the 1957–58 season, Glenavon took part in the European Cup – the first Irish League club to do so. In total, 16 clubs have represented Northern Ireland in European competition.

Joel William Cooper is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for NIFL Premiership club Linfield.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Jimmy Hill". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 137. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
  3. Jimmy Hill at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  4. "Jimmy Hill". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 July 2016.