Molyneux Jimmy Image 3 Chelsea 1921

Description

Port Sunlight, Wirral born goalkeeper Jimmy Molyneux played for New Ferry Bible Class in 1903, Port Sunlight Works in 1904 and Rock Ferry in 1906 before he joined Stockport County, where he was understudy to Joe Butler and made his Football League debut at Barnsley in April 1907. By the start of 1908-09 he had the County gloves to himself, and in the summer of 1910 he was bought by David Calderhead’s Chelsea after 94 appearances for The Hatters.

Finishing third in his first season at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea went one better in 1911-12 although Molyneux managed only 12 appearances in the campaign, sharing goalkeeping duties with Jack Whitley and (back in the First Division in 1912-13) with Ron Brebner, before reclaiming the gloves for the final 2 seasons before the First World War forced the cessation of peacetime football in 1915. He was a member of the Chelsea side that reached the FA Cup Final in 1915, the so called “Khaki Cup Final”, which they lost 3-0 to Sheffield United.

During the War he served with the Armed Forces and after the War he continued as Chelsea’s principal goalkeeper for a further two years, playing his final game in October 1921 before being ousted by a combination of Howard Baker and Colin Hampton having made 239 appearances for The Pensioners. He returned to Stockport County and played 8 more games for them in the 1924-25 season before his retirement, already aged 39.