| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Barry Walker | ||
| Date of birth | 9 July 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Sutton-in-Ashfield, England | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Walsall | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1993 | Notts County | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–2004 | Walsall | 403 | (0) |
| 2004–2009 | West Ham United | 13 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Colchester United (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) |
| 2010– | Walsall | 38 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:54, 31 October 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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James Barry "Jimmy" Walker (born 9 July 1973 in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Walsall.
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Walker joined Notts County as a trainee in July 1991 but failed to make a first appearance [1] and moved to Walsall in August 1993, making his debut in the same month. He went on to make 475 appearances in all competitions for Walsall in eleven years,[2] the most by any goalkeeper for the club, and became a cult hero at Bescot Stadium. While at Walsall he was a key player in three promotion seasons and won their Player of the Season award twice. He was awarded a testimonial in the summer of 2003.[2] Walker's popularity proved such that an autobiography was commissioned to coincide with his testimonial season; ghosted by Walsall programme editor, Andrew Poole, it proved to be a relative success with fans of Walsall and of West Ham United.
Walker's successes at Walsall included promotion from Division Three in 1995 and from Division Two in 1999 and again 2001.
West Ham acquired Walker's services from Walsall on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2004.[3] Walker, who provided competition for Stephen Bywater,[4] was the second choice goalkeeper at Upton Park but gained a regular first team place within a year of his arrival. Walker helped West Ham win promotion in 2005 but a serious knee injury in the closing stages of the play-off final[5] saw him miss the majority of the 2005–06 season. He made his first appearance since the knee injury, and his Premiership debut at the age of 32, in a 4–2 defeat to Portsmouth in March 2006.[6] He made only two more first team appearances but collected a FA Cup Final runners up medal as an unused substitute in May 2006.[7] The presence of Roy Carroll and Robert Green as goalkeepers at West Ham during the 2006/07 season meant that Walker's first-team chances were limited though he remained very popular at Upton Park.
On 27 November 2008 Walker signed on loan for Colchester United.[8] He made his debut for Colchester on 29 November 2008 in their 2–1 victory against Northampton Town.[9]
Walker gained praise from West Ham fans on saving a penalty taken by Frank Lampard in the League Cup in October 2004, in front of the West Ham supporters' end at Stamford Bridge. West Ham lost the tie 1–0.[10]
On 3 June 2009 West Ham announced that Walker had been released.[11]
At the start of September 2009, at the age of 36, Walker was signed on a short-term contract by Tottenham Hotspur as a third choice goalkeeper.[12] He was released by Tottenham on 1 July 2010.
On 29 October 2010 Walker re-signed for Walsall, on a short-term contract due to end in January 2011.[13] On 28 January 2011 he extended his contract to the end of the 2010/2011 season.[14] On 12 April 2011 Walker made his 500th appearance for The Saddlers, against Brentford, which ended in a 3-2 win for Walsall.[15] On 8 June 2011, Jimmy Walker signed a one year deal at Walsall.
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