Jimmy Croal

James Anderson Croal (27 July 1885 – 16 September 1939) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Falkirk, Rangers, Chelsea and Scotland.[2] He was judged to be a clever inside left who when paired with Bob McNeil was very effective.[5]

Jimmy Croal
Personal information
Full name James Anderson Croal[1]
Date of birth (1885-07-27)27 July 1885
Place of birth Hutchesontown, Scotland[2]
Date of death 16 September 1939(1939-09-16) (aged 54)[3]
Place of death Yeovil, England[4]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Inside left
Youth career
Falkirk Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1905–1910 Rangers 3 (0)
1906–1907 → Ayr Parkhouse (loan) 11 (0)
→ Alloa Athletic (loan)
→ Dunfermline Athletic (loan)
1910–1914 Falkirk 97 (31)
1914–1922 Chelsea 113 (22)
1919 → Falkirk (guest) 10 (0)
→ Dunfermline Athletic (guest)
1921–1923 Fulham 36 (6)
International career
1913–1914 Scotland 3 (0)
1913–1914 Scottish League XI 3 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Croal was a lively inside left, who joined Rangers in 1905 from junior football.[4] However, he failed to make the breakthrough to the first team and went out on loan to Ayr Parkhouse, Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic,[3] before finally leaving Ibrox to sign for Falkirk for a £10 fee in November 1910.[4] At Brockville, his career blossomed, and he won the Scottish Cup in 1913, as well as three international caps for Scotland and five appearances for the Scottish League XI.[4][6] Croal transferred to Chelsea from Falkirk in April 1914.[7][5] Chelsea paid £2,000 for him and he remained at Stamford Bridge until 1922. He was a member of the Chelsea side that reached the 1915 FA Cup Final.[5] He made a total of 130 appearances for Chelsea, scoring a total of 26 goals.[8] Croal then spent two-and-a-half seasons with Fulham before retiring.[9]

Personal life

Croal was a schoolmaster by profession.[2] In the summer of 1916, two years since the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted as a private in the King's Royal Rifle Corps.[10] By March 1918 he had risen to the rank of corporal and finished the war as an acting sergeant.[4][10]

Honours

Falkirk

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 70. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. "Jimmy Croal". Rangers FC History.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  3. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  4. "Jimmy Croal | Football and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  5. Unknown (1915). Cup Final Programme.
  6. Jimmy Croal at the Scottish Football Association
  7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02889/Telegraph1914_2404_2889430a.pdf
  8. Glanvill, Rick (2006). Chelsea FC: The Official Biography – The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years. Headline Book Publishing Ltd. p. 401. ISBN 0-7553-1466-2.
  9. "James Croal". Fulhamweb. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  10. "Croal Jimmy Image 1 Chelsea 1921". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
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