Jimmy Goodfellow facts for kids
Goodfellow playing for Cardiff City Legends in July 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Goodfellow | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Bishop Auckland, England | ||
| Date of death | 22 April 2020 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Newport, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 195?–1960 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1960–196? | Consett | ||
| 1962–1965 | Crook Town | ||
| 1965–1966 | Bishop Auckland | ||
| 1966–1969 | Port Vale | 85 | (10) |
| 1969–1974 | Workington | 199 | (15) |
| 1974–1978 | Rotherham United | 192 | (8) |
| 1978–1979 | Stockport County | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 479 | (33) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1984 | Cardiff City | ||
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James Goodfellow (born 16 September 1943 – died 22 April 2020) was an English football player and manager. He was a midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defend.
Jimmy played in 535 games and scored 39 goals during his 13-year career in the English Football League. He started playing as a young person for Newcastle United. Later, he played for several amateur and semi-professional teams.
He won the FA Amateur Cup with Crook Town in 1964. Jimmy then joined the Football League with Port Vale in 1966. He also played for Workington, Rotherham United, and Stockport County.
After his playing career, Jimmy became a coach. He worked for Newport County, Cardiff City, Plymouth Argyle, and Sunderland. He even managed Cardiff City for a short time in 1984. He continued working behind the scenes at Cardiff City until he retired in 2008.
Contents
Playing Football
Starting Out in Football
Jimmy Goodfellow joined Newcastle United when he was young. Even though he was a big fan of Sunderland, he signed with Newcastle. At 17, he left the club without playing for the main team.
He then moved to non-league football, playing for Consett. In March 1962, he joined Crook Town. In 1964, Jimmy scored Crook Town's first goal at the famous Wembley. This goal helped his team win the FA Amateur Cup final.
Jimmy wasn't happy with how players were chosen at Crook Town. A committee picked the team, not the manager. So, he decided to join Bishop Auckland when their manager, Lawrie McMenemy, asked him to. While playing as a semi-professional, he also worked at a naval shipyard.
Playing for Port Vale
At 23, Jimmy got the chance to play in the English Football League. He signed with Port Vale. He scored his first goal for them on 1 October 1966. It was in a game against Barrow.
In his first season, 1966–67, he scored seven goals in 28 games. The next season, Stanley Matthews became the manager, but things didn't go well for the team. Jimmy scored two goals in 31 games.
Later, a new manager, Gordon Lee, helped the club improve. After playing 36 games and scoring two goals in the 1968–69 season, Jimmy left Port Vale. He joined Workington for free in May 1969.
Time at Workington
When Jimmy joined, Workington finished just above the bottom of the league in 1969–70. But they improved, reaching tenth place the next season. New manager George Aitken led the team to good finishes in the following years.
During his time at Borough Park, Jimmy played 199 games in the Fourth Division. He scored 15 goals for Workington.
Success at Rotherham United
In January 1974, Jimmy signed with Rotherham United. He was recommended by another manager, Len Ashurst. Jimmy scored in his very first game for Rotherham.
The "Millers," as Rotherham United are called, finished 15th in 1973–74. The next season, 1974–75, they won promotion from the Fourth Division. Jimmy was a key part of the team, playing well on the left side of the field.
He became the captain of Rotherham. The team did well in the Third Division. Jimmy played in all 50 games in the 1975–76 season. In 1976–77, Rotherham almost got promoted again, missing out by a small difference in goals. Jimmy left Rotherham in the summer of 1978.
Last Club: Stockport County
Jimmy finished his playing career with Stockport County in the 1978–79 season. He played only three games for them before leaving.
Playing Style
Jimmy Goodfellow was known for being a very consistent player. This means he always played well. His main weakness was that he didn't score many goals. He even joked about himself, saying he was "a non-running, non-tackling, non-heading midfielder". This shows he had a good sense of humor!
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Jimmy became an assistant manager. He joined Len Ashurst at Newport County. Together, they helped Newport County get promoted from the Fourth Division in 1979–80. They also won the Welsh Cup in 1980.
In 1981, Newport County even reached the quarter-finals of a big European competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Jimmy left Newport County in November 1981.
A few months later, Len Ashurst became the manager of Cardiff City. He asked Jimmy to be his assistant again. Jimmy helped Cardiff City get promoted to the Second Division in 1982–83.
When Ashurst left Cardiff City in March 1984, Jimmy became the joint caretaker manager. Later, he was named the permanent manager of Cardiff City. However, his time as manager was short. He was sacked after just over two months because the team had a tough start to the season.
After leaving Cardiff, Jimmy worked as a physiotherapist for Plymouth Argyle. He also worked with Lawrie McMenemy again at Sunderland.
Two years later, Jimmy returned to Cardiff City as a physiotherapist and coach. He stayed with the club for many years, working under different managers. In 1993, he was part of the team that won the Third Division title.
In 1998, Cardiff City held a special game for Jimmy to celebrate his long service. He even played in the last few minutes of the game at age 55! Jimmy retired in May 2008. He passed away on 22 April 2020 in Newport, at 76 years old.
Honours
- Crook Town
- FA Amateur Cup: 1964
- Rotherham United
- Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1974–75
