Full name James Delaney Name Jimmy Delaney Place of birth Cleland, Scotland Role Football player | Place of death Cleland, Scotland Height 1.75 m Years Team | |
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Date of birth (1914-09-03)3 September 1914 Date of death 26 September 1989(1989-09-26) (aged 75) Died September 26, 1989, Cleland, United Kingdom | ||
James Delaney (3 September 1914 – 26 September 1989) was a Scottish footballer, who enjoyed a 24-year playing career.
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Career
Delaney joined Celtic on provisional forms in 1933 from Stoneyburn Juniors, signing a permanent contract the following year. He spent 13 years with the Glasgow club, making 305 appearances in all competitions. Delaney suffered the misfortune of a badly broken arm in a home game against Arbroath in April 1939. The injury sustained being further exacerbated by the opposition player Attilio Becchi, who was apparently a Celtic fan, accidentally stepping on Delaney's arm. Delaney's torn football shirt was sold for £564 at Christie's in 2002.
Delaney was held in high regard as a player by Matt Busby who, in 1946, signed him for Manchester United in a £4,000 deal. Delaney helped United win the 1948 FA Cup Final and finished his United career with 28 goals. He moved back to Scotland at the age of 36, joining Aberdeen in November 1950 and made his Dons debut in a 5–1 defeat of Falkirk. A year later he joined the Bairns, where he spent three seasons. In January 1954, Derry City paid £1,500 to sign him, a record fee for the Irish Football League, remarkable in that he was by this stage 39 years old. Two years later he joined Cork Athletic as player-manager before eventually retiring after a season with Highland League Elgin City in 1957.
Delaney has the distinction of having won the Scottish Cup with Celtic in 1937, the English FA Cup with Manchester United in 1948, and the Irish Cup with Derry City in 1954. He also came close to a fourth different Cup in the Republic of Ireland, earning a runners-up medal with Cork Athletic in 1956. He won 15 caps for Scotland and scored 6 goals. Delaney also represented the Scottish League XI six times. On 15 November 2009 he was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Son of Patrick Delaney and Bridget Nash from Crettyard, Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland, Jimmy was born in Cleland, North Lanarkshire. His grandson John Kennedy was also a professional footballer, who played as a defender for Celtic and Norwich City.
Delaney died in September 1989, shortly after his 75th birthday.