| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Jones | ||
| Date of birth | 25 July 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Lurgan, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Glenavon | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1946–1949 | Belfast Celtic | 33 | (43) |
| 1949–1950 | Larne | ||
| 1950–1951 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 1951–1962 | Glenavon | 222 | (269) |
| 1962–1963 | Portadown | 14 | (8) |
| 1963–1964 | Bangor | 20 | (12) |
| 1964–1965 | Newry Town | ||
| National team | |||
| 1956–1957 | Northern Ireland | 3 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Jimmy Jones (born 25 July 1928) was an Irish League footballer in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. He was born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Jones played for Belfast Celtic in an infamous game in 1948 against Linfield at Windsor Park. There was rioting at the end of the game and Jones was thrown over the wall which surrounded the pitch. He suffered a broken leg and Belfast Celtic withdrew from Irish football (Celtic Park in Belfast is now a shopping centre).
Jones joined Glenavon in Lurgan and, contrary to the myth which suggested that his career was ruined by his broken leg, was the leading Irish League goalscorer for some years in the fifties. He scored three goals in the Irish League team which defeated the Football League 5 - 3 at Windsor Park in 1953. Jones played in two full international games for Northern Ireland, the last in 1956 when Northern Ireland drew 1 - 1 with England at Windsor Park in the now defunct British Home Championship. Jones still is the leading goalscorer in Irish league history, and finished as Irish League outright leading goalscorer in 6 different seasons, a record that is still unbroken.