Jimmy O'Neill (footballer born 1931)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Anthony O'Neill | ||
| Date of birth | 13 October 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Republic of Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 15 December 2007 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Ormskirk, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bulfin United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1960 | Everton | 201 | (0) |
| 1960–1964 | Stoke City | 130 | (0) |
| 1964–1965 | Darlington | 32 | (0) |
| 1965–1966 | Port Vale | 42 | (0) |
| 1966–1967 | → Cork Celtic (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 1967–1968 | Cork Celtic | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 423 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1952–1959 | Republic of Ireland | 17 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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James Anthony O'Neill (13 October 1931 – 15 December 2007) was an Irish international football goalkeeper. He played 405 league games in a 17-year career in the Football League, and also won 17 caps for the Republic of Ireland. Though only 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), he was able to use his acrobatic ability to save the ball.
He spent the whole of the 1950s with Everton, helping the "Toffees" to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1953–54. He was sold on to Stoke City for £5,000 in July 1960, and helped the "Potters" to top the Second Division table in 1962–63. He moved on to Darlington in March 1964, before signing with Port Vale in February 1965. He was loaned out to Cork Celtic in December 1966, before being allowed to join the club permanently on a free transfer in May 1967. He retired the following year, and later ran a taxi firm in Ormskirk.
Dublin-born O'Neill played junior football in Republic of Ireland for Bulfin United, and was an Irish schoolboy international. He was spotted in a youth international match in Brentford by Everton and signed as a professional with the club in May 1949, the "Toffees" seeing him as a potential replacement for 39-year-old Ted Sagar. He made his début as an 18-year-old against Middlesbrough in August 1950. Everton were relegated out of the First Division in 1950–51. They finished seven points short of promotion in 1951–52, before dropping to 16th in 1952–53, just five points above relegation. O'Neill played in the 1953 FA Cup semi-final against Bolton Wanderers, and shared the goalkeeping duties with Harry Leyland during the promotion campaign of 1953–54, as Cliff Britton led the club to a second-place finish, behind champions Leicester City on goal average but ahead of Blackburn Rovers by a single point. Everton then finished 11th in the top-flight in 1954–55, and 15th in 1955–56. New boss Ian Buchan led the club to 15th in 1956–57 and 16th in 1957–58. O'Neill did not get along with new manager Johnny Carey and so became unsettled. He remained though for further mid-table campaigns in 1958–59 and 1959–60, and played a total of 213 league and cup games during his time at Goodison Park.
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