Jim Cannon (footballer, born 1953)

Jim Cannon
Personal information
Full name James Cannon
Date of birth (1953-10-02) 2 October 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
1970–1973 Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1988 Crystal Palace 660 (30)
Managerial career
2003–2004 Chipstead
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Cannon (born 2 October 1953)[2] is a Scottish retired footballer.[3]

Along with several other promising young Scottish players he was signed as an apprentice for Crystal Palace in October 1970, by then manager Bert Head, having previously had a trial with Manchester City.[2] He made a goalscoring debut on 31 March 1973 against Chelsea and went on to make 660 appearances for the club,[4] beating Terry Long's record in the 1984–85 season.

A cultured centre half who could also play at left back or in midfield, he eventually left the club at the end of the 1987–88 season (15 seasons after his debut), having been captain for the previous ten seasons, and initially joined Croydon[5] and then in November 1988, Dartford.[2] He also had a short spell with Bristol Rovers[citation needed] before finishing his football career in 1994 after three seasons at Dulwich Hamlet.[citation needed] In retirement he owned a building company ICS Builders in the Croydon area,[6] and managed Chipstead during the 2003–04 season.[7]

At the start of 2005–06 season onwards, returned to Palace, in the hospitality department, hosting the executive boxes at Selhurst Park on matchdays. In 2005, Cannon was voted into Palace's Centenary XI, and was only just pipped to "The Player of The Century" award by Ian Wright. Wright later said that Cannon had bullied him and Kung fu kicked him in the back; Cannon disputed that but admitted to giving Wright "a little slap".[8] Ian Wright has maintained that he was bullied by Cannon.[9]

References

  1. ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  2. ^ a b c Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 67. ISBN 0907969542.
  3. ^ "Jim Cannon". Holmesdale Online.
  4. ^ "Jim Cannon: Treated It As A Normal Game".
  5. ^ Mike Purkiss & Nigel Sands (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. p. 320. ISBN 0907969542.
  6. ^ "Football Aid".
  7. ^ Chipstead Non-League Club Directory
  8. ^ Muro, Giuseppe (17 November 2017). "Ian Wright exclusive: Bullying is not 'banter'". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  9. ^ "United's Press Leaks, Pep Lashes Out & Being Late! Stick to Football EP 9". youtube.com. The Overlap. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  • Jim Cannon at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database