James Anthony McNichol (born 9 June 1958) is a Scottish former professional footballer who is most noted for his career at Torquay United and Exeter City. He was capped by Scotland at U21 level.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Anthony McNichol[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1976 | Ipswich Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1978 | Luton Town | 15 | (0) |
| 1978–1984 | Brentford | 155 | (22) |
| 1984–1986 | Exeter City | 87 | (10) |
| 1986–1989 | Torquay United | 124 | (13) |
| 1989–1991 | Exeter City | 42 | (8) |
| 1991–1992 | Torquay United | 2 | (0) |
| Torrington | |||
| Total | 425 | (53) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1980 | Scotland U21 | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career edit
An apprentice at Ipswich Town, McNichol joined Luton Town in July 1976.[1] He later played for Brentford (his transfer setting a new club record incoming fee of £33,000),[4] before moving on to Exeter City.[1] In July 1986 he joined Torquay United.[1] On 9 May 1987 Torquay were heading out of the Football League, 2–0, down to Crewe Alexandra at half-time in the last game of the season, they needed two more goals to ensure survival—McNichol, Paul Dobson and a German shepherd called Bryn saved the day for Torquay.[5] McNichol scored from a free-kick, then in the dying moments ran to the corner flag to whip in a cross, little realizing his run would confuse the police dog into thinking he was about to attack his handler.[5] The dog bit McNichol on the leg and the player had to be treated; during the minutes added on due to the injury, Dobson scored and Lincoln City were the ones to lose their league status on goal difference.[5] The story of McNichol's injury was featured in the Netflix documentary series Losers.[6]
McNichol was appointed captain and led the club to the Football League Trophy final in 1989, before returning to Exeter in August 1989.[1] He helped City take the Football League Fourth Division title in 1989–90, before he made the switch from Exeter to Torquay a second time in July 1991.[1] After leaving the Gulls he later played for Torrington. An ankle ligament injury ended his career.[7]
Personal life edit
After his retirement from football, McNichol settled in Exeter and became a publican, operating The Exeter Inn in Ashburton.[8] He sold the pub just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, after 33 years running in.[9]
Honours edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Jim McNichol". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 364. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ "Scotland U21 Player James McNichol Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City. 7 May 2005. p. 46.
- ^ a b c McNichol, Jim (9 May 2009). "9 May 1987: Dog saves Torquay from relegation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
- ^ "The dog bite that saved a football club and inspired a Netflix series". BBC Scotland. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Brentford | News | Where Are They Now? | Where Are They Now? | WHERE ARE THEY NOW?". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Brentford | News | Where Are They Now? | Where Are They Now? | WHERE ARE THEY NOW?". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Kings of the Castle: Jim McNichol". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 70s. Legends Publishing. p. 295. ISBN 978-1906796709.
External links edit
- Jim McNichol at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database