James Anderson Croal (27 July 1885 – 16 September 1939) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Falkirk, Rangers, Chelsea and Scotland.[2] He was judged to be a clever inside left who when paired with Bob McNeil was very effective.[5]
Croal was a lively inside left, who joined Rangers in 1905 from junior football.[4] However, he failed to make the breakthrough to the first team and went out on loan to Ayr Parkhouse, Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic,[3] before finally leaving Ibrox to sign for Falkirk for a £10 fee in November 1910.[4] At Brockville, his career blossomed, and he won the Scottish Cup in 1913, as well as three international caps for Scotland and five appearances for the Scottish League XI.[4][6] Croal transferred to Chelsea from Falkirk in April 1914.[7][5] Chelsea paid £2,000 for him and he remained at Stamford Bridge until 1922. He was a member of the Chelsea side that reached the 1915 FA Cup Final.[5] He made a total of 130 appearances for Chelsea, scoring a total of 26 goals.[8] Croal then spent two-and-a-half seasons with Fulham before retiring.[9]
Croal was a schoolmaster by profession.[2] In the summer of 1916, two years since the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted as a private in the King's Royal Rifle Corps.[10] By March 1918 he had risen to the rank of corporal and finished the war as an acting sergeant.[4][10]
Falkirk
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