Today I'm going back 50 years to 1972 and, in a break from the usual, I'm featuring a programme from a game that I didn't attend (I wasn't permitted to go to football until I was 14 years old). This game is a special one for at least one person however as it represented the Football League debut of a man whom I have been lucky enough to get to know as a result of producing my Football Programme Memoirs blog. I wonder how many York City fans that are reading this will remember one Jimmy Crangle? Not many I'd wager. Jimmy made just four Football League appearances, all for York City. Nevertheless that's nothing to be scoffed at and is surely four more than almost everybody who will read this article. This is Jimmy's story.
Jimmy was born in Glasgow in 1953 and he grew up in the tenements of Glasgow's south side kicking a football around from an early age. It was the classic "jumpers for goalposts" scenario, playing until it got dark. The streets were tough and the football was tough too: the original school of hard knocks. At twelve years of age, Jimmy moved from Junior to Senior school and, during his first breaktime, he was spotted running rings with a football around the other kids and quickly came to the attention of the Sports Master (one Harry Morgan) who was responsible for the school team. Jimmy then found himself pitched into the school's reserve side that very Saturday and scored all seven (!) in his side's 7-0 victory. Little wonder that Jimmy never played for the school reserve team again!
Mr Morgan correctly predicted that Jimmy would become a professional footballer one day and stoked Jimmy's ambitions accordingly. It's fair to say that Jimmy ate, drank and slept football as a schoolboy and he was playing two games each Saturday: a morning appearance for his school followed by one in the afternoon for his local Boys Guild side. It was during this period that he was spotted by the most successful Juvenile (under-21) club in the history of Scottish football: Campsie Black Watch FC. Jimmy joined Campsie in 1970 and played for them for over two years, finding himself in the shop window as scouts from professional clubs flocked to watch Scotland's top Juvenile side. Whilst at Campsie, Jimmy appeared in the Scottish Juvenile FA Cup Final winning the game 3-2 and getting two of the goals. Around the same time, Jimmy was picked for trials for the Scotland Juvenile squad although he didn't make the final cut. Scouts from Everton, Ipswich Town and York City were all interested in Jimmy however and he also had a brief trial with Sheffield United.
In May 1972, Jimmy was invited to come down to England to spend a week on trial with York City followed by another week with Ipswich Town. The Town manager at the time, the late great Bobby Robson, had made the trip up to Scotland to watch Campsie personally. Robson was initially wanting to see one of Jimmy's team mates but couldn't fail to also be impressed by the boy on the other wing. It was Jimmy of course. Even before travelling down South for his two trials, Jimmy took calls from Everton manager Harry Catterick who attempted to persuade him to go to Everton instead. Thankfully Jimmy was a man of his word and he chose to honour his commitment to visit York City and Ipswich first.
York's manager at the time was Tom Johnson and, astonishingly, only three days into Jimmy's trial, he had already seen enough to offer the youngster a two year full-time professional contract! Mindful of his promise to spend the following week with Ipswich Town, Jimmy was reluctant to accept Johnson's offer on the spot. However, as a young man, desperate to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer and, crucially, without an advisor or any kind of representation, Jimmy eventually signed his two year professional deal with York City FC.
Jimmy recalls his experience of City's seasoned professionals at York's first day of pre-season training, where hard work was the order of the day. Trainer Walt Wilkinson took the squad to Clifton Ings for a 10K running session and, eager to please, young Jimmy led from the front. That is, until he received some "advice" from senior pros including Barry Swallow and Jimmy Seal along the lines of "Hey Scotty! Slow down! We all finish this together otherwise they'll make us do it again tomorrow". Jimmy was learning fast.
Jimmy's first appearance for the York City first team came in a pre-season Friendly against the Doonhamers (Scotland's Queen of the South) on 29th July 1972. The game resulted in a 3-1 win for York and, to Jimmy's surprise, his father and uncle made the trip down from Scotland to watch the game. It was one of only two occasions in senior football in which Jimmy played with his father watching. Jimmy's Football League debut came early in the new season in the goalless draw with Watford at Bootham Crescent. As well as making a total of four appearances for the first team, Jimmy was banging in the goals for the City Reserve side and he fondly remembers appearing for the Reserves at Arsenal's Highbury stadium and being put clean through by City's John Woodward before chipping the keeper from 30 yards. It is therefore not difficult to imagine the shock and disappointment that Jimmy felt when he was told that he was being released at the end of his contract, all the more so when he later discovered that eleven of City's 12 directors involved in making the decision had voted to keep him on.
Nevertheless, Jimmy has fond memories of his playing days with York City. The City squad was a tight knit group and Jimmy was a popular part of it. When the players had a short break around Christmas time, Graeme Crawford gave Jimmy a lift home to Glasgow and later picked him up for the return journey to York. Jimmy remembers going out for "social evenings" with Brian Pollard, Gordon Hunter and Mike de Placido to name but a few after City midweek home games and both Gordon and Mike lunched with Jimmy at his digs before heading back for the occasional afternoon training session.
Following Jimmy's departure from Bootham Crescent, he had a two-month trial with Charlton Athletic but they were hesitant to sign him due to concerns about his height and physique. Jimmy, by now seeing a local York girl who would eventually become his wife, pulled out of the possible move. Following Charlton, Jimmy had trials with both Chesterfield and Bradford City but they too had similar concerns and the trials didn't result in a contract. By 1975 Jimmy decided to make a return to the semi-professional ranks and signed for Selby Town where he felt immediately at home and began to enjoy his football once again.
After Selby, Jimmy joined local York side Osbaldwick FC for whom he played throughout the 1980's and where he would meet up with former York City players John Harrison and Andy Leaf. Osbaldwick were something of a powerhouse and enjoyed considerable success in the York & District League (ten successive titles no less!). Jimmy's career as a player was coming to an end although he did make a few appearances for Copmanthorpe (alongside Graeme Crawford once again) before hanging up his boots in 1991. Simultaneously Jimmy made the move into youth coaching with both Osbaldwick and Dunnington before he was approached by York City to work with their Centre of Excellence (under-14s) players. It was a strange time for Jimmy, working back at the club that he had left a generation earlier but the move enabled him to work on obtaining his coaching badges and Jimmy found youth coaching to be a very rewarding experience.
Like so many people who come and make their home in North Yorkshire, Jimmy has remained there to this day living in the west of York with his wife of 32 years, Carol. Jimmy retired in 2020 but still retains an active interest in football and is considering buying a season ticket for City's National League season at the LNER Community Stadium. If you see him, shake his hand and thank him for his service to York City and football in the area.
CRB Match No. 000
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