Jimmy Moran, regularly dubbed the best player to represent Workington Reds in the Football League, has died at the age of 84.

The Scot, a key member of the 1963/64 promotion-winning team, played 122 league and cup games for Reds, who were his last senior club.

He moved to Norfolk where he became a successful player and manager with the likes of Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Gorlston.

He had an affection for the area which had been created during his time at Norwich City, where he was a member of the famed ‘59 Canaries team which reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Jimmy was brought up in Cleland, Lanarkshire and was one of five boys – two others going on to play football professionally (Eddie to Leicester and John to Derby County).

Leicester City was also Jimmy’s first professional club and he made his debut in the 1956/57 season which ended in promotion for the Foxes.

Norwich City was his next port of call, staying four years and making 36 appearances and scoring 17 times, but he suffered an injury which was to flare up through the rest of his career.

From Norwich he moved to Northampton, which he always said was the worst decision of his career, as he never saw eye-to-eye with manager Dave Bowen. In the one season he scored six goals from 24 games.

So disillusioned was he that he went back to Norwich and obtained a job labouring on a building site, but fortunately he was soon tempted back.

This time the offer came from Darlington and a manager, Eddie Carr who was more Jimmy’s cup of tea.

But after a season (26 games, six goals) he again fell out with the manager after Carr told him he was bringing in two more players. He didn’t react well to being told “never mind two, you’ll need nine”.

So that’s when Ken Furphy stepped in and brought him to Workington where he enjoyed some of the best moments of his career – promotion in 1963/64 and two giant-killing runs to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

In several readers’ polls since Reds lost their Football League status, Jimmy was in every team selected by fans and in the majority of cases voted Workington’s best-ever player.

Yet after becoming a Workington hero, his leaving was particularly sad. After a knee operation Jimmy was ready to resume playing but the club directors were convinced he would never play again.

They claimed £10,000 due on his insurance and Jimmy left Borough Park with £300 compensation.

His career was far from over as he actually played his last game at the age of 46, and particularly at Lowestoft he enjoyed great success as player/manager, leading them to league and cup doubles to earn legendary status.