Jimmy Holmes (footballer, born 1953)

James Paul Holmes (born 11 November 1953) is an Irish former professional footballer. Hailing from Meath Square in The Liberties,^[2] he won 30 full international caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring once.^[3]

Holmes, a left-back, began his career with St. John Bosco.^[4] He joined Coventry City as apprentice and was a member of the FA Youth Cup Final side in 1970.^[5] He turned professional in November 1970 and became the Republic of Ireland's youngest ever full international at 17 years, 200 days when he came on as a 74th-minute substitute for Don Givens in the 4–1 defeat in the European Championship Qualifier against Austria at Dalymount Park on 30 May 1971.^[6]

He made his league debut later that year in the home game against Leicester City on 4 December and gradually established himself in the Coventry first team. In March 1977, after 8 goals in 143 games for Coventry,^[7] he moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £120,000.^[2] A broken leg ended his career at White Hart Lane after 92 games, in which he scored twice.^[7] While on international duty, Jimmy broke his leg and complications arose in the setting of the leg.^[5]

In February 1981, the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League purchased his contract for £100,000. However, he played only seventeen games over two seasons.^[8] During this time he made one final appearance in the Irish national side. In October 1982 he returned to the UK, joining Leicester City on a free transfer, but played only twice before a free transfer took him to Brentford in February 1983.^[1][7] A month later, another free transfer took him to Torquay United, Holmes playing 25 games (3 goals) for Bruce Rioch's side.^[1] In November 1983 he moved to Peterborough United, scoring 7 times in 60 games before ending his league career.^[9]

He enjoyed a testimonial match in 1985 at Dalymount Park, when an Irish XI beat a Glenn Hoddle XI.^[10]

He later became a police officer in the Midlands and works as a chauffeur.^[5] As a police officer, he was once called into duty again while on police duty at Coventry City's Highfield Road. When one of the players for a testimonial did not show, Jimmy stepped into the fray. In August 2007 he was formally commended for his bravery in July 2006.^[11] He later retired in 2020, during Covid 19.

Jimmy Holmes had quite a remarkable career for Ireland, appearing 30 times around the world and facing footballing greats such as Lev Yashin, Michel Platini and even Péle. He holds the record for the youngest player ever to play for Ireland, in a 4-1 defeat to Austria in May of 1971. His only goal for Eíre was in a 3-0 dominant victory over Norway.

During his career, Jimmy Holmes appeared regularly in the FA Cup for both Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. While at Coventry, he played in several campaigns, featuring in victories over Stoke City, Bristol City, and Millwall, as well as defeats to Arsenal, Manchester City, and Newcastle United. Several ties required replays, including matches against Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County, and Queens Park Rangers. After transferring to Tottenham Hotspur for the 1977–78 season, Holmes was involved in wins against Altrincham, Wrexham, and Oldham Athletic, before Tottenham’s run was ended by Manchester United. Holmes’ FA Cup career thus included a series of notable cup runs that ended in knockout fixtures against top-flight opposition.

Jimmy Holmes featured in the League Cup during the 1970s while representing Coventry City and later Tottenham Hotspur. With Coventry City, he appeared in fixtures against Burnley, Hartlepool United, Birmingham City, Darlington, Bristol City, Stoke City, Manchester City, Ipswich Town, Bolton Wanderers, Mansfield Town, Nottingham Forest, and Everton. Following his move to Tottenham Hotspur, he featured in League Cup matches against Wimbledon and Coventry City. His appearances came across several seasons of knockout competition in English football’s secondary domestic cup.

Jimmy played 17 games for Vancouver Whitecaps. Jimmy faced many teams in the NASL, such as New York Cosmos and Montreal Manic, but many of these teams are now defunct. He also faced teams like Napoli and Sparta Rotterdam. He joined Whitecaps with his Coventry teammate Terry Yorath, and left in 1982 to join Leicester City for his spell at the midlands side. Jimmy played in both Indoor and Outdoor NASL, with indoor games having higher scores as it was more similar to Futsal.

• Tottenham Hotspur: Jimmy Holmes
• NASL stats