Jimbo Crossan: Derry City pays tribute to former player and manager

Jim Crossan, right, pictured with brother John, gave a "lifetime of service to football" in Derry, the club said.

Former Derry City player and manager Jim Crossan has died, the club has announced.

Known as Jimbo, he played in Derry City's Irish Cup winning team of 1964 and the league title winning team of 1965.

Crossan, brother of ex-Northern Ireland international John Crossan, was also the club's manager when Derry first entered the League of Ireland in 1985.

Derry City said it was "deeply saddened" by his death.

Jimbo Crossan pictured before jetting out with Derry City to Romania to play Steaua Bucharest in 1964

"Jimbo will be forever remembered for a lifetime of service to football in Derry and for leading the club into the League of Ireland in 1985," the club said in a statement.

His most famous footballing moment came in 1965 in a European Cup preliminary round game against FK Lynn from Norway.

Trailing 5-3 from the first leg, Crossan scored a goal still talked about by Derry City fans as they won the second leg 5-1 to progress - the first Irish club to get through to a European Cup tie.

Crossan had "whizzed" the ball into the top corner from 30 yards "on a pig of a wet night" at the Brandywell, Eddie Mahon, a teammate in the Derry City team of the mid 1960s, told BBC Radio Foyle's The Mark Patterson Show.

Jimbo Crossan, back row third from left, part of the 1964 Cup winning Derry City team

On the pitch, Crossan was short in stature for the centre half position in which he played, Mr Mahon said.

"But Jimbo was so clever, he could manoeuvre them [the opponent]; he would give the slightest wee nudge, just enough to destabilise the centre forward, to take the ball away".

His passion for the game was huge, Mr Mahon added, and said Crossan would be remembered as " a really good friend, the best of craic, a great colleague".