South Melbourne Hellas is in mourning following the sad passing of Jimmy Armstrong on Monday 19 August 2024 at the age of 81.
Born on 21 March 1943 in Scotland, Jimmy played his youth football at Redfrew and Yoker Athletic before deciding to adventure to Australia and see where his life would take him. He arrived in Australia in 1966 and began his new life abroad playing for Hakoah in the Victorian State League. As a Middle Park co-tenant, Hakoah’s star player was soon on South Melbourne’s radar and Hellas eventually paid $5000 to secure his services ahead of the 1970 season.
Jimmy’s love affair with South Melbourne commenced immediately. On Friday 13 March 1970, he scored the winning goal in second half extra time to guide Hellas to a 3-2 win over Footscray JUST in the pre-season AMPOL Cup final replay at Olympic Park. Jimmy’s first league goal for the club came a few weeks later against the same opponents, this time at Schintler Reserve in a 3-1 away victory. Hellas finished in a disappointing fifth place finish in the league that season but Jimmy led the club’s goal scoring in all competitions with 15 goals. He also represented the Victorian state side against Werder Bremen in June of that year.
In 1971, Jimmy scored 13 league goals as Hellas finished second in the league and he netted in the State League Cup final as Hellas lost 3-2 to Croatia. 1972 was a breakout year, with Armstrong and Davie Gorrie scoring over 30 league goals between them as Hellas pipped George Cross to the league championship on goal difference. Jimmy’s remarkable 20 goal haul was recognised with selection for the Socceroos and he scored for them against South Korea in Seoul in October 1972. 1973 yielded 13 league goals and Jimmy memorably scored the winning goal for Victoria against Bristol Rovers at Olympic Park in May of that year.
1974 was arguably Jimmy’s greatest season in a South shirt. Hellas dominated the State League and won the title by four points as Jimmy scored 22 league goals, a record he held alone for 40 years until Milos Lujic equalled it in 2014 and overtook it in 2016 (25 league goals). One of the most iconic photos of the 1970s era is a half-naked Jimmy being chaired off Olympic Park by jubilant Hellas supporters when his two late goals secured the State League golden boot over Paul Murphy of George Cross in the final game of the season against Juventus. Jimmy’s goal scoring form continued as he scored in the Dockerty Cup final to help Hellas secure that trophy for the first time in its history with a 4-1 win over Ringwood City Wilhelmina. Not surprisingly, Jimmy was the 1974 Bill Fleming Medal winner.
The following season did not yield league success but Jimmy scored the winning penalty in the Dockerty Cup final as Hellas beat Sunshine City to win this historic trophy two seasons in a row. 1976 was Jimmy’s final season with the club and he began strongly with a goal in a 4-1 win over JUST in the Ampol Cup final. In the league, Hellas finished a whopping nine points clear of JUST to win its seventh State League championship in style. After seven incredible seasons at the club, 34-year-old Jimmy transferred to Melbourne Juventus in early 1977 as South Melbourne began life in the new National Soccer League. In all, Jimmy scored 152 goals in Victoria’s top flight, 89 of them for his beloved Hellas.
Following his retirement, Jimmy began coaching several clubs including at South Melbourne, where he coached juniors, the reserves team and assisting with the first team during the 1980s. He remained involved at the club in administration, performing various roles including as a committeeman, Club Secretary and liaison officer. Not surprisingly, he was added in Football Australia’s Hall of Fame in 1999 and was made a Life Member of Football Victoria. In 2002, he was named as the starting centre-forward in the South Melbourne Team of the Century, demonstrating the high regard in which he is held within theclub.
The outpouring of emotion – not just from the South Melbourne community but the wider Victorian and Australian football community – shows how many football people loved Jimmy Armstrong not only as a player but as a human being. “I’m not doing too bad for an old guy” and “I’ve been around here so long you may as well call me Dimitrios Armstrong-opoulos” were two of his favourite sayings when greeting people at the matches.
Perhaps fittingly, 50 years on from Hellas’ dominant 1974 season, the 2024 edition of South Melbourne Football Club saw Jimmy off in style by securing first place in the league (albeit with the finals series still to come) by winning their final game of the season at home featuring a team largely made up of players that had come from the club’s youth teams.
No matter what happens for the remainder of this season, there is no doubt that the great Jimmy Armstrong’s name will live on forever as a genuine all-time great for our beloved football club. Vale Jimmy Armstrong (1943-2024) – thanks for the memories.
