James Irving Fell (4 January 1936 – 2 February 2011) was an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, who played in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for
Grimsby Town,
Everton,
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
,
Walsall and
Lincoln City.
Playing career
Grimsby Town
Fell attended
Clee Grammar School for Boys
Matthew Humberstone Church of England School, also known as the Matthew Humberstone School, Matthew Humberstone C of E School, Matthew Humberstone Comprehensive School, MHS and Matty, was a secondary school in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolns ...
, becoming a chemist at
Courtaulds whilst playing part-time for
Grimsby Town.
The 1958–59 season commenced with Fell taking on the role of emergency goalkeeper after regular custodian Clarrie Williams was injured in the season's opening game against
Liverpool at
Anfield in front of a crowd of 47,502 on 23 August 1958. With no substitutes allowed, Fell replaced Williams between the sticks and performed so heroically in the 3–3 draw that ''
The Daily Mirror'' presented him with an '
Andy Capp' award.
Lincoln City
Fell joined
Lincoln City in January 1964, debuting in the 2–1 victory at
Hartlepools United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Har ...
on 11 January 1964 and scoring his first goal for the club in the 2–1 home defeat to
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
on 30 March 1964.
He was a regular in the starting line-up in his first two seasons at
Sincil Bank but played just three times at the start of the 1965/66 season before joining
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
.
Retirement
A keen angler and cricketer, in his later years he worked at Grimsby Leisure Centre
and died, of natural causes, at his home in Welholme Road, Grimsby on 2 February 2011.
References
External links
Lincoln City F.C. Official archive profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fell, Jimmy
1936 births
English Football League players
English men's footballers
Grimsby Town F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Walsall F.C. players
Lincoln City F.C. players
Boston United F.C. players
2011 deaths
Men's association football midfielders
Footballers from Cleethorpes