Jim Platt

{{For|the American basketball coach|Jim Platt (basketball coach)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Jim Platt

| fullname = James Archibald Platt

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|1|26|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ballymoney, Northern Ireland

| height = {{height|m=1.83|precision=0}}

| position = Goalkeeper

| years1 =1971–1983

| years2 = 1978–1979

| years3 = 1978–1979

| years4 = 1983–1985

| years5 = 1985–1987

| clubs1 = Middlesbrough

| clubs2 = → Hartlepool United (loan)

| clubs3 = → Cardiff City (loan)

| clubs4 = Ballymena United

| clubs5 = Coleraine

| caps1 = 481

| caps2 = 13

| caps3 = 4

| goals1 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| goals3 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1976–1986

| nationalteam1 = Northern Ireland

| nationalcaps1 = 23

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1984–1985

| manageryears2 = 1985–1991

| manageryears3 = 1991–1992

| manageryears4 = 1992–1993

| manageryears5 = 1995

| manageryears6 = 1995–1996

| manageryears7 = 1997

| managerclubs1 = Ballymena United

| managerclubs2 = Coleraine

| managerclubs3 = Ballyclare

| managerclubs4 = Assyriska

| managerclubs5 = Darlington (joint manager with David Hodgson)

| managerclubs6 = Darlington

| managerclubs7 = Gateshead

}}

James Archibald Platt (born 26 January 1952) is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Northern Ireland.

Playing career

During his career, Platt won 23 caps for Northern Ireland, an amount largely restricted due to the presence of Pat Jennings in the side. At club level, Platt played for the majority of his career at Middlesbrough, and also played for Hartlepool United, Cardiff City and Ballymena United. He conceded a hat trick in a junior match in Northern Ireland, when Kenny McKillop scored 3 goals from outside the box against him.

Platt was also in the Irish team that won the Home Championship the last time it was played.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Managerial and coaching career

As a manager, Platt's first job was to take charge of Ballymena United for a season from 1984 to 1985, after which he had a longer spell at Coleraine, managing them for six years from 1985 to 1991. In 1991, he had another short spell, this time at Ballyclare, for just one season from 1991 to 1992.

For the 1992–93 season, Platt was given the job of managing Swedish outfit Assyriska, in the Swedish First Division. He had a two-season spell managing Darlington one partly with David Hodgson then the other from 1995–96, before leaving full-time management to take a job with Gateshead.

Previously Middlesbrough's Chief Coach at their Football Community Centre. He ran a private football school for local primary school around the Middlesbrough/Stockton Area.

In May 2009, Platt was appointed as Darlington's goalkeeping coach. However, three months later, Platt left the club following manager Colin Todd's sacking.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/darlington/8276584.stm

|title=Darlington part company with Todd.

|date=2009-09-26

|access-date=2009-09-26

|publisher=BBC Sport}}

Family

Platt is the uncle of Angela Platt, a former goalkeeper with both the Ireland women's national field hockey team and the Northern Ireland women's national football team. His nephew and Angela's brother, David Platt, is also a former footballer and played as a goalkeeper for Limavady United, Finn Harps and Derry City. He later managed Coleraine and Limavady United.{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/ncu-chief-has-big-plans-as-ireland-get-set-for-new-era-35796930.html|title=NCU chief has big plans as Ireland get set for new era|publisher=www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk|access-date=10 March 2019|date=7 June 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/kuper-names-irish-squad-1.250915|title=Kuper names Irish squad|publisher=www.irishtimes.com|access-date=11 March 2019|date=1 March 2000}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/sport/ex-ballymoney-hockey-keeper-seeking-glory-1-5218378|title=Ex-Ballymoney hockey 'keeper seeking glory|publisher=www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk|access-date=11 March 2019|date=29 June 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-30288909.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629113408/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-30288909.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2014|title=Former Ireland women's hockey goalkeeper Angela Platt has made a sensational return to the playing arena with Ballymoney after five years in retirement.|publisher=www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk|access-date=24 May 2014|date=12 December 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/football/platt-takes-coleraine-helm-1-1870454|title=Platt takes Coleraine helm|publisher=www.newsletter.co.uk|access-date=12 March 2019|date=2 June 2008}}

In 2019 he was elected to Middlesbrough Council in Kader ward, representing the Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association.{{Cite web |last= |title=Election results |url=https://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/elections/election-results/ |access-date=2 June 2023 |website=www.middlesbrough.gov.uk}} He was re-elected in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Election results |url=https://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/elections/election-results-2023/ |access-date=2 June 2023 |website=www.middlesbrough.gov.uk}}

Honours

Middlesbrough Second Division Championship 1973/74

Darlington
Division Three Play-off final runner-up: 1995–96

References

External links

{{NFT player|id=20193}}
[http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/12/jim-platt.html Profile at Northern Ireland's footballing greats]
[http://www.thenationalfootballcollection.org.uk/jim-platt-goalkeeping-shirts/ Jim Platt Collection at the National Football Collection]
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