Jimmy_Crapnell
Jimmy Crapnell
Scottish footballer and manager
James Scrymagour Crapnell (4 June 1903 – 24 December 1991)[2] was a Scottish football player and manager. He played as a right back for Airdrieonians and Motherwell at club level, and represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Scrymagour Crapnell | ||
| Date of birth | 4 June 1903 | ||
| Place of birth | Paisley, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 24 December 1991(1991-12-24) (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Paisley, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Cambuslang Rangers | ||
| 1926–1933 | Airdrieonians | 227 | (1) |
| 1933–1937 | Motherwell | 41 | (0) |
| Total | 268 | (1) | |
| International career | |||
| 1929–1932 | Scotland | 9 | (0) |
| 1929–1932 | Scottish League XI | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1945–1946 | Alloa Athletic | ||
| 1947–1953 | St Johnstone | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Crapnell, who was born in Paisley, began his club career in the junior leagues with Cambuslang Rangers.[4] He was already 23 when he moved to Airdrie in 1926 as a replacement for Alex Dick who had been advised to stop playing,[5] but within three years he had become the Diamonds club captain and achieved international recognition, receiving all of his caps while with Airdrie.[5]
Motherwell signed him in January 1933 for a fee of £2,000.[4] He helped them reach the 1933 Scottish Cup Final,[6] but they lost 1–0 to Celtic.[4] He retired in 1934 to try a career in insurance.[4][5] After a brief comeback in the Motherwell reserve team, he retired again.[4]
Crapnell was 5 feet 5 inches tall, which was small for a defender.[1] He had a "reputation for tenacity", however, and won nine Scotland caps between 1929 and 1933, only finishing on the losing side once[1] and captaining the team in four of those appearances.[7] He is the most capped player in Airdrieonians' history.[1][5] Crapnell also represented the Scottish League XI five times (all victories) between 1929 and 1932.[8]
Crapnell became a manager after the Second World War, working for Alloa Athletic and then St Johnstone.[4] He died in December 1991, aged 88.[6]
- "NOW YOU KNOW: Jock's crowning moment came in lifting the Double". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- Jimmy Crapnell at National-Football-Teams.com
- John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Jimmy Crapnell". MotherWELLnet. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- Greatest XI - 2. Right Back, Airdrieonians FC, 6 February 2016
- "James Crapnell". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. 27 December 1991. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- "[SFL player] Jimmy Crapnell". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 2 December 2011.