Jimmy Crapnell
James Scrymagour Crapnell (4 June 1903 – 24 December 1991)[2] was a Scottish football player and manager. He played as a right back for Airdrieonians and Motherwell at club level, and represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI.[3] CareerCrapnell, who was born in Paisley, began his club career in the junior leagues with Cambuslang Rangers.[4] He was already 23 when he moved to Airdrie in 1926 as a replacement for Alex Dick who had been advised to stop playing,[5] but within three years he had become the Diamonds club captain and achieved international recognition, receiving all of his caps while with Airdrie.[5] Motherwell signed him in January 1933 for a fee of £2,000.[4] He helped them reach the 1933 Scottish Cup Final,[6] but they lost 1–0 to Celtic.[4] He retired in 1934 to try a career in insurance.[4][5] After a brief comeback in the Motherwell reserve team, he retired again.[4] Crapnell was 5 feet 5 inches tall, which was small for a defender.[1] He had a "reputation for tenacity", however, and won nine Scotland caps between 1929 and 1933, only finishing on the losing side once[1] and captaining the team in four of those appearances.[7] He is the most capped player in Airdrieonians' history.[1][5] Crapnell also represented the Scottish League XI five times (all victories) between 1929 and 1932.[8] Crapnell became a manager after the Second World War, working for Alloa Athletic and then St Johnstone.[4] He died in December 1991, aged 88.[6] See alsoReferences
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