Jimmy Crapnell

Who was Jimmy Crapnell?

James Sermagour "Jimmy" Crapnell was a Scottish football player and manager. He played for Cambuslang Rangers, Airdrie and Motherwell and represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI.

Crapnell, who was born in Paisley, began his club career with Cambuslang Rangers. He moved to Airdrie in 1926 and won most of his international honours with them. Motherwell signed Crapnell from Airdrie in 1932 for a fee of £2,000. He helped Motherwell reach the 1933 Scottish Cup Final, but they lost 1–0 to Celtic. He retired in 1934 to try a career in insurance. After a brief comeback in the Motherwell reserve team, he retired again.

Crapnell was 5 feet 5 inches tall, which was small for a defender. He had a "reputation for tenacity", however, and won nine Scotland caps between 1929 and 1933. Crapnell captained the team in four of those appearances. He is the most capped player in Airdrie history. Crapnell also represented the Scottish League XI five times, between 1929 and 1932.

Crapnell then became a manager after the Second World War, working for Alloa and then St. Johnstone. He died in December 1991, aged 88.