Biography
Centre forward Davy Jordan joined Hull City in July 1932, signing a professional contract in September after a short trial. His move to Hull was sweetened by the fact that his elder brother Alf Jordan, another ex-Tiger, was still living in the city. The 1932/33 season was Jordan’s first with the Tigers and coincided with the emergence of Londoner Bill McNaughton as a goalscoring phenomenon. City finished top of Division Three North and McNaughton scored 41 league goals in 41 leagues starts. Jordan started the one game that McNaughton missed, a pre-Christmas 1-1 draw away at Crewe, and scored on his debut.
In the 1933/34 season the Tigers finished in the middle of the Second Division and with McNaughton’s goal tally reduced to 15, Jordan was handed the centre forward’s shirt in late February as McNaughton moved to inside left. Davy rewarded newly appointed City manager Jack Hill with seven goals in his first five games, meaning that overall Jordan had scored in all of his first six games for the Tigers first team – a club record. Jordan added a further three goals in the closing weeks of the season.
At the start of the 1934/35 season Jordan was again selected at centre forward by Hill and he scored four goals in the opening weeks of the season, leading the line with Bill McNaughton and new signing Duncan Hutchison in support. However in November 1934 Jordan suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the side for nearly a year. When he returned to full fitness in October 1935 the Tigers were at the foot of the table and Hill was on the verge of being sacked. Jordan was briefly restored to the centre forward role in January 1936 while the club’s directors were in charge, but returning manager David Menzies looked elsewhere for his goals and Jordan never started another City match. By May 1936 City were relegated and Jordan was given a free transfer.
Born in Belfast, Jordan had already enjoyed a short career in Northern Ireland before coming to England. He started at junior club Dunmurry before joining Linfield Swifts in April 1929. He spent the 1930/31 season in the Glentoran second team, then signed for Ards in September 1931 prior to his move to Hull a year later.
In June 1936 Jordan signed for First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers, quite a move for a player who had barely played for a Second Division club in nearly two seasons. He made his Wolves debut in October 1936 in the febrile atmosphere of a local derby against West Bromwich Albion and went on to start a total of three First Division games for the Black Country side in his only season at Molineux. Jordan joined Division Three South side Crystal Palace in May 1937, in two seasons he made seven league starts for the Eagles prior to commencement of World War Two.
Jordan did not restart his football career after the war and returned to Hull, where he died in the Summer of 1978.
At the end of his only season at Wolves, Jordan was selected for the Irish Free State international team, a side chosen by the Football Association of Ireland from players across the whole island. In May 1937 he was capped twice against Switzerland and France, scoring his only international goal in the second fixture.
Details
Nationality: Ireland
Date/Place of Birth: 7 April 1911, Belfast
Hull City First Game: 17 December 1932, Crewe Alexandra A (Division Three North), 21 years, 254 days old
Hull City Final Game: 18 January 1936, Charlton Athletic A (Division Two), 24 years, 286 days old
Clubs
Dunmurry, Linfield Swifts (1929-1930), Glentoran (1930-1931), Ards (1931-1932), Hull City (1932-1936), Wolverhampton Wanderers (1936-1937), Crystal Palace (1937-1939)
Hull City Record
Career: 25 apps, 15 goals
Davy Jordan| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932/33 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1933/34 | 11 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1934/35 | 10 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1935/36 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |