Jim Holton

Jim Holton

Jim Holton

Defender
Place Of Birth Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire
Date Of Birth 11 April 1951
Date Of Death 4 October 1993 (42)
Last Win 1 January 1980 17039days ago
Last Loss 29 December 1979 17042days ago
Statistics
Games Played
100
-
Per Game
Games Started
100
1.0
Per Game
Substituted In
0
0
Per Game
Minutes
8748
87.5
Per Game
Goals
1
0.01
Per Game
Goal From Penalty
0
0
Per Game
Assists
0
0
Per Game
Cards (All)
4
0.04
Per Game
BioStatsMatchesTeammatesInternationals

‘Six foot two, eyes of blue. Big Jim Holton’s after you’ was a chant of Manchester United fans and taken up by City fans after Jim joined City from Sunderland in 1977. Tommy Docherty had taken the raw-boned young central defender to Old Trafford from Shrewsbury in 1973 and he was a member of United’s Second Division championship side in 1975 as well as a mainstay in Scotland’s 1974 World Cup finals team.

In 1975 the first of two broken legs stopped his career in its tracks and after recovering Jim was allowed to join Sunderland. In April 1977 City, without a win in 11 games and staring relegation in the face, took a gamble and paid £50,000 for the fearsome stopper. He helped keep them up and was the regular centre-half for the next two and a half seasons and helping nurture the prodigious Gary Gillespie. He eventually lost his place to Paul Dyson and after a summer playing for Detroit Express and a short spell at Sheffield Wednesday he retired to run the Rising Sun pub in Coventry. Tragically died of a heart attack at the age of 42.

Football League Second Division winner 1974–75 with Manchester United