Tully Jim Image 1 Rochdale 1922

Description

Lintz Colliery, County Durham born inside left and later left half Jim Tully began his football career with North Eastern League club West Stanley and played for North Shields Athletic in 1905 before returning to West Stanley, from where he was signed by Second Division club Clapton Orient in September 1909, his Football League debut coming at inside left in a defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers the same month, Tully making one further appearance in his debut season in another defeat at Lincoln City in February 1910. He didn’t reappear for Clapton Orient until the Christmas holiday period, when he played twice more, and he then scored his only goal for The O’s on his final appearance, the only goal in a 1-0 win over Leeds City at Millfields Road in April 1911.

Tully once again returned to West Stanley in the summer of 1911 and then signed for Lancashire Combination champions in 1912, but his career was then interrupted by the onset of the First World War, which forced the suspension of peacetime football in May 1915.

After the War, by now playing at left half, Tully returned to Spotland before a move to Southern League club Pontypridd in 1920, but after a season in South Wales he returned to Rochdale, now in the Third Division (North) in September 1921, where he was a regular in their inaugural 1921-22 League campaign, However the following season he lost his place in September 1922 and played only 5 more matches for Rochdale over the remainder of the season before retiring from professional football, having made 32 appearances for ‘Dale since returning to Spotland in 1921.