Jimmy Glass facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Robert Glass | ||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Epsom, Surrey, England | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Chelsea | ||
| 1988–1989 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989–1996 | Crystal Palace | 0 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | → Dulwich Hamlet (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 1995 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1995 | → Gillingham (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1996 | → Burnley (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1998 | AFC Bournemouth | 95 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Swindon Town | 11 | (0) |
| 1999 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2000 | Cambridge United | 0 | (0) |
| 2000 | Brentford | 2 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Oxford United | 1 | (0) |
| 2001 | Crawley Town | 17 | (0) |
| 2001 | Brockenhurst | 3 | (0) |
| 2001 | Kingstonian | 14 | (0) |
| 2001 | Lewes | 3 | (0) |
| 2004 | Weymouth | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 169 | (1) | |
|
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James Robert Glass (born 1 August 1973) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper.
He is best known for scoring a famous last-minute goal for Carlisle United in 1999. This goal helped Carlisle United stay in the Football League. At the time, Jimmy Glass was on loan from Swindon Town.
This dramatic goal happened in one of only three games he played for Carlisle. It became very famous in English football. Beyond this goal, Glass played regularly for AFC Bournemouth for three seasons from 1996 to 1998. He stopped playing professional football in 2001 when he was 27 years old.
Contents
Jimmy Glass's Football Career
Early Days as a Goalkeeper
Jimmy Glass played for many different football clubs during his career. He started as a reserve goalkeeper for Crystal Palace. A reserve goalkeeper is someone who is ready to play if the main goalkeeper cannot. He never played a first-team game for Crystal Palace. However, he was a substitute several times, meaning he was on the bench ready to come on.
In 1998, he reached the final of the Football League Trophy with Bournemouth. This was the closest he came to winning a trophy in senior football. In that match, Glass accidentally scored an own goal, and Bournemouth lost 2–1. This was the last own goal ever scored at the old Wembley Stadium. After this, Glass moved to Swindon Town in 1998. He found it hard to get a regular spot on the team there.
The Famous Carlisle United Goal
In 1999, Jimmy Glass joined Carlisle United on loan. This happened because their main goalkeeper was sold and another was injured. His most famous moment came on 8 May 1999. It was the last match of the season against Plymouth Argyle. Carlisle United needed to win this game to avoid being moved down to a lower league.
The score was 1-1 with only ten seconds left in the game. Carlisle United won a corner kick. Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper, ran all the way from his own goal to the other end of the field. The ball came into the box, and after the Plymouth goalkeeper blocked a header, Jimmy Glass volleyed the ball into the net! Carlisle won the game, 2-1. This meant Carlisle United stayed in the Football League. Another team, Scarborough, was moved down instead. Scarborough's game had already finished, and their fans were celebrating, not knowing what was about to happen.
A radio commentator, Derek Lacey, described the moment:
So ... deep, deep, deep, I make it sixty seconds. Jimmy Glass knocks it long. It comes now to Bagshaw. Bagshaw back to Anthony. Up to Stevens ... and the ball goes out now for a corner to Carlisle United – will they have time to take it? Referee looks at his watch ... and here comes Jimmy Glass! Carlisle United goalkeeper Jimmy Glass is coming up for the kick – everyone is going up ... there isn't one player in the Carlisle half! Well, well ... and the corner kick comes in ... and ... the goalkeeper's punch ... oh ... Jimmy Glass! Jimmy Glass! Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper, has scored a goal for Carlisle United! There's a pitch invasion! There is a pitch invasion! The referee has been swamped – they're bouncing on the crossbar!
Jimmy Glass's goal was chosen as the 72nd greatest sporting moment ever by the Channel 4 TV show 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. The Times newspaper also ranked it as the 7th most important goal in football history. The Puma boots he wore when he scored the goal are now in the National Football Museum.
After Carlisle United
Even though he became famous, Jimmy Glass only played three games for Carlisle. The club could not sign him permanently. After Carlisle, he played for several other clubs, including Oxford United and Brentford. He then moved to non-league clubs, which are not part of the professional league system. He eventually stopped playing football completely. He even wrote a book about his life called One Hit Wonder.
Author Gabriel Kuhn summed up Glass's fame by saying:
Football allows for magic experiences and incredible personal stories, such as when no-name goalkeeper Jimmy Glass saved Carlisle United from relegation to amateur football (sic) in 1999 with a last-minute goal, only to disappear into anonymity again shortly after.
Life After Football
Jimmy Glass stopped playing professional football at age 27. He then started a new career as an IT salesman. Later, he became a taxi driver in Dorset and eventually became the managing director of a taxi company.
In a 2013 interview with the BBC, Glass shared his thoughts: "It is quite tough because some go on to fame and fortune and some go on to driving a cab and living a normal life like me. It is quite difficult to understand your place in life from being this guy who will never be forgotten to being the guy worrying about your next bill." He added, "The goal was an amazing part of my life and is there to be enjoyed, and I will until people get bored of me."
In October 2011, Glass returned to football as a goalkeeping coach for Poole Town. He also worked in hospitality for AFC Bournemouth. In 2016, he took on a new role as Player Liaison Officer for Premier League club Bournemouth. On 4 July 2023, Jimmy Glass was appointed general manager at Wimborne Town. In this role, he helps manage the club's operations, community projects, and football programs.
See also
- List of goalscoring goalkeepers
