Jimmy Goodfellow (1943 – 2020)

Workington Football Club was saddened to learn that Jimmy Goodfellow, our former captain, passed away on Wednesday.  He was 76.

Jimmy joined the Reds in July 1969 from Port Vale and would spend four and half seasons with the club making 216 appearances in the process.

Born in Bishop Auckland, he began his career with Newcastle United – ironic being a Sunderland supporter!  Upon his release from St. James’ Park he turned out in the Northern League for a few clubs, predominantly Crook Town.  He actually scored for them at the old Wembley in the 1964 FA Amateur Cup Final.

From there, Jimmy returned to the professional ranks with Port Vale and first played against Workington in the late sixties.

Brian Doyle persuaded him to come to Workington ahead of the 1969-70 campaign and the Reds supporters got their first glimpse of the midfielder in the pre-season friendly against Glasgow Rangers.  His League debut followed a week later (v. Grimsby Town) on the opening day of the ’69-70 season.

Jimmy, who eventually became skipper, played all fifty matches in his first season and rarely missed a game in his first four, being an ever present in both ’69-70 and ’71-72.

A wonderful captain on the pitch and a fine ambassador for the club off it, Jimmy would go on to make 216 (199 in the League) competitive appearances for Reds scoring nineteen goals.  He also played in a dozen friendlies in Workington colours, adding five more goals to his tally.

In January, 1974 Jimmy was sold to Rotherham United for a paltry £3,000 and he scored on his Millers debut.  JG returned to Borough Park in a Rotherham strip, finishing on the winning side on two occasions.  He would help the south Yorkshire club to promotion and skippered them many times in 220 outings before ending his playing days with a brief stint at Stockport County.

Spells with Newport County and Cardiff City followed, initially as an assistant manager but with brief stints in the hot-seat, before he became a qualified physiotherapist.  He even served at Sunderland, his boyhood club, for a while.

Jimmy was granted a testimonial after his distinguished service at Ninian Park upon his retirement in 2008.  In later years he lived in Chepstow.

Our condolences go to Jimmy’s family.  

RIP