Biography
Goalkeeper James Iremonger was born in Wilford, then a village on the banks of the River Trent, now a suburb of Nottingham. He was playing local league football for Clifton Colliery, just over the river from his birthplace, when he answered the call from Hull City in December 1924 to join the Tigers on a short term amateur deal. City had just sold first choice goalkeeper Billy Mercer to Huddersfield Town and replacement George Maddison was without a senior understudy. Iremonger played in one game, which City won 4-2 over The Wednesday, before returning to the Nottinghamshire amateur scene – when City next needed an understudy for Maddison in mid-January, they chose defender Matt Bell between the posts before luring ex-Leicester netminder Herbert Bown out of retirement.
Iremonger came from a decorated football family. His father, also James, was born in Norton, on the River Derwent opposite Malton in Yorkshire’s East Riding, and was a prominent first class cricketer for Nottinghamshire between 1899 and 1914 who was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1903 but never received international cricketing honours. He was also a notable footballer who turned out 301 times at right back for Nottingham Forest between 1896 and 1909 and won two England football caps in 1901 and 1902. By the 1920s, when his son joined City, James senior was a trainer at Notts County.
James’s uncle, Albert Iremonger, was also a prominent goalkeeper who played 640 times for Notts County between 1905 and 1927.
James junior lived in his home village of Wilford for the last 40-plus years of his life, working as a foreman in a local machinery factory. He died in January 1980.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 5 June 1901, Wilford
Hull City First Game: 20 December 1924, Sheffield Wednesday H (Division Two), 23 years, 198 days old
Hull City Final Game: 20 December 1924, Sheffield Wednesday H (Division Two), 23 years, 198 days old
Clubs
Clifton Colliery, Hull City (1924)
Hull City Record
Career: 1 apps, 0 goals
James Iremonger| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924/25 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |