Glentoran Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former player Jim Martin.
Jimmy had two spells as a Glentoran player. As a youth player in the mid-1960s he was in the Glentoran Seconds team that won the Steel & Sons Cup in the 1964-65 season. In the photo above Jimmy is second left in the front row. That team also includes Glentoran Legends Terry Conroy, who the following season scored both goals in a 2-0 Irish Cup Final win over Linfield before moving on to have a stellar playing career with Stoke City and the Republic of Ireland, and Tommy Jackson who went on to play for Everton. Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Northern Ireland before returning to have a distinguished, trophy laden 7 seasons as Glentoran Manager.Also in the photograph is Tommy Craig, who sadly passed away in April of this year.
Jimmy didn’t make the breakthrough into John Colrain’s team at that point, so he moved on to Dundela, followed by very successful spells at Ballymena United and Linfield. But he returned to the Oval in September 1978 under Arthur Stewart’s management.
Jimmy’s return was an unexpected one. He was the reigning Castlereagh GSC Ulster Player of the Year and just 8 months earlier had shocked Glens supporters with a stunning second half Boxing Day hat trick to overturn a 2-0 half time Glentoran lead.
Jimmy’s second spell at the Glens was a short but memorable one. In his one full season (1978-79) he averaged a goal a game with 22 goals inn 22 appearances. Overall he scored 26 goals in 37 games in the red, green and black before departing for a successful spell at Ards as Gary Blackledge and Ron Manley started to forge the strike partnership that would spearhead the “Glentoran Invincibles” the following season.
Glentoran Football Club thanks Jimmy for his service and offers deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Jimmy Martin (second right, front row) in Ronnie McFall's 1979-80 Glentoran team