Jimmy McIlroy

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Personal information
Jimmy McIlroy
Full name	James McIlroy
Date of birth	October 25, 1931
Place of birth	Lambeg, Northern Ireland
Nickname	Jimmy Mac
Position	Midfielder
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1949-1950 1950-1962 1962-1965 1965-1967	Glentoran Burnley Stoke City Oldham Athletic	- (-) 439 (116) 98 (16) 39 (1)
National team
1951-1962	Northern Ireland	55 (10)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Jimmy McIlroy (born James McIlroy on October 25, 1931 in Lambeg, near Lisburn, Northern Ireland) is a former football player, regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of Burnley F.C.

[edit] At Burnley

Starting his footballing career at Belfast-based Northern Irish club Glentoran, McIlroy was signed by Burnley manager Frank Hill, who handed the youngster his league debut in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland at Roker Park in October 1950, just four days before his 19th Birthday. McIlroy's inclusion in the team was due to the sale of Harry Potts, his future manager of Burnley, who had just been sold to Everton.

McIlroy played in the second of the two greatest periods in Burnley's history, coinciding with Harry Potts's tenure as manager, when they became 1959-60 English League champions, appeared in the 1962 FA Cup Final and featured in European Competitions.

He played 439 times for the Clarets and scored 116 goals for the club. He is also Burnley's most capped international, appearing for his native Northern Ireland on 51 occasions, scoring 10 goals.

[edit] After Burnley

His 1963 transfer to Stoke City was seen as an act of treachery by some Burnley fans. After his time at Stoke, he had a period managing Oldham and then a few weeks in charge of Bolton bringing an end to a great footballing career. He retired to the Burnley area and is still a regular attender of Burnley home matches.

[edit] The Jimmy McIlroy Stand

Burnley's stadium, Turf Moor has a stand named in his honour. Rebuilt in the late 1990s after the Beehole End was demolished, the stadium's eastern stand has been named "The Jimmy McIlroy Stand".

Preceded by: Nat Lofthouse	Bolton Wanderers manager 1970	Succeeded by: Jimmy Meadows

	Northern Ireland squad - 1958 FIFA World Cup
1 Gregg \| 2 Cunningham \| 3 McMichael \| 4 Blanchflower \| 5 Keith \| 6 Peacock \| 7 Bingham \| 8 Cush \| 9 Simpson \| 10 McIlroy \| 11 McParland \| 12 Uprichard \| 13 Casey \| 14 Scott \| 15 McCrory \| 16 Dougan \| 17 Coyle \| 18 Rea \| 19 Graham \| 20 Chapman \| 21 Hamill \| 22 Trainor \| Coach: Doherty