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Personal
Fullname: James Birrell
aka: Jimmy Birrell
Born: 19 September 1916
Died: […]
Birthplace: Dunfermline
Signed: 3 January 1938
Left: 31 August 1940 (registration cancelled); Aug-Oct 1941 (Dunfermline Ath)
Position: Outside-Left
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Clyde, Glasgow Cup, 15 Oct 1938
Internationals: N/A
Biog
Fife-born Jimmy Birrell saw his Celtic career cut short by the outbreak of World War II.
Signed from Blairhill Colliery Birrell played six times for the Hoops in season 1938-39 making his debut for the First Team v Clyde in a 3-0 victory in the Glasgow Cup on 15th October 1938, and then a week later he made his league debut on 22 October 1938 in a 0-0 draw with Partick Thistle.
In the reference for James McDonald in “The Alphabet of Celts” book it states that James McDonald joined the club on 28th January 1939 from Blairhall Colliery and includes the following note:
“Blairhall Colliery was Celtic’s Fifeshire nursery on the eve of WWII and provided Celtic with Jimmy Birrell, Tom Harvey, James McMillan, Johnny Wilson & James McDonald.”
His actual debut was the Glasgow Cup final on 14 Oct 1938, which Celtic won 3-0 v Clyde so handing Jimmy Birrell a winner’s medal from the off. Jimmy Brirrell was reported to have delivered the “picture cross” for Jimmy Delaney to head in the first goal.
He took Frank Murphy’s place, and was the first newcomer into the 1938 side. He was acclaimed as “Celtic’s latest left-wing sensation.”
Despite the good words, he was to only score twice for Celtic: once v Third Lanark (6-1 win) and once v Clyde (3-1 win).
His brief run of games came in Oct 1938 & then a few over the first quarter of 1939. He played in the New Year’s Derby 2-1 defeat by Rangers. Celtic were to finish second in the league as Rangers stormed to the title by 11pts.
That was to be the player’s only season with the Celts as his registration was cancelled in August 1940 when football was suspended the following season due to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
On the outbreak of the war he had returned to Fife to be a miner, and was on loan to East Fife. He soon went on to score five goals for East Fife v Stenhousemuir (and ex-Celt Willie Buchan) on 16 December 1939. Possibly a tough one to stomach for the management back at Celtic who had to watch Celtic lost 2-1 to Third Lanark at home.
In retrospect, he was possibly another lost case for Celtic who were in dire need of some good players as the following difficult years panned out with the risible results that arose with Celtic finishing 13th in a truncated wartime league in season 1939-40.
Appears to have hung up his boots in October 1941 after a spell at Dunfermline Athletic from August 1940 to October 1941.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1938-39 | 6 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 6 |
| Goals: | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 |
Honours with Celtic
Glasgow Cup
- 1938
