James Magilton (born 6 May 1969) is a Northern Irish former professional football player and current manager of NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville.
As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town. He started his playing career in the Irish League with Distillery then signed for Liverpool but would fail to make an appearance. He joined Oxford United in 1990 before moving to the Saints four-years later. He made 581 league appearances, scoring 64 goals during his playing career. He was capped 52 times by Northern Ireland, scoring 5 goals and has represented them at U21 and U23 level.
He moved into management at Ipswich, where he led the club for three years before managing Queens Park Rangers for a brief spell. He has since managed Melbourne Victory, Northern Ireland U21 and Dundalk.
James Magilton was born on 6 May 1969 in Belfast, and attended St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School.
Magilton started out at junior club St Oliver Plunkett, under the guidance of Jackie Maxwell, whose long-term association with the club saw him win the BBC NI Unsung Hero award in 2006. Magilton was a gifted midfield player with an exquisite range of passing who represented Northern Ireland 52 times. He played for Distillery, Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Southampton before ending his playing career after seven and a half years at Ipswich.
Magilton started his playing career with Distillery in the Irish League, making his senior debut as a substitute against Newry Town in March 1985, aged just 15.
Magilton served as an apprentice at Liverpool alongside the likes of Steve McManaman and Mike Marsh. He turned professional in 1988 but never made a first team appearance, although he was selected as a (non-playing) substitute in both the 1988 and 1990 Charity Shields. In 1988 Liverpool beat Wimbledon and then two years later shared it with Manchester United in a 1–1 draw, both at Wembley Stadium.
Magilton was transferred to Oxford United in October 1990 at the age of 21 for £200,000. There he made 150 league appearances before moving to Southampton in February 1994.
Magilton was Alan Ball's second signing a month after being appointed as Southampton's manager, costing the Saints £600,000. Magilton made his first Saints appearance in a 4–2 victory at The Dell over Liverpool on 14 February 1994 in which match Matthew Le Tissier scored a hat-trick. Magilton soon established himself as a commanding presence in the central midfield role. Magilton was described in Holley & Chalk's In That Number as "a neat and indefatigable "fetcher and carrier" between penalty areas."
In the 1994–95 season Magilton started all 42 league games (scoring 6 goals) and continued to feature regularly in the following two seasons under managers David Merrington and Graeme Souness. Following Dave Jones' appointment in the summer of 1997, Magilton rejected the offer of a new contract and, after making 156 appearances with Southampton.
In September 1997 Magilton moved to Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of £1.6 million. He made his debut on 13 September away to his former club Liverpool. He made 22 appearances during his first season at Sheffield Wednesday, scoring once in a 1–1 draw with West Ham in April 1998.
He began the 1998–99 season with Wednesday, although he did not feature regularly for the first team, making only 6 appearances during the first-half of the season.
In January 1999, Magilton signed for Ipswich Town on loan for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for Ipswich on 17 January in a 2–1 away loss to Sunderland. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 March 1999, in a 3–0 home victory over Huddersfield Town at Portman Road. In March 1999 he signed permanently for Ipswich for a fee of around £750,000.
He started the 1999–2000 season as a regular in the Ipswich first-team. He scored his first goal of the season on 30 August, netting in a 6–1 win over Barnsley. Magilton helped Ipswich push for promotion throughout the season, scoring 4 goals in 38 appearances in the league as Ipswich finished 3rd in the First Division. He scored his only career hat-trick in a 5–3 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the 1999–2000 play-off semi-finals on 17 May, securing the club's place in the play-off final with a 7–5 aggregate win, and admitting himself that it was his best ever performance. Magilton started in the final at Wembley Stadium as Ipswich beat Barnsley 4–2, earning promotion to the Premier League as a result.
Magilton continued to be a key part of the Ipswich side during the following season. He scored his first Premier League goal for Ipswich in a 2–1 away defeat to Leicester City on 6 September. He made 33 appearances in the league during the season, helping Ipswich to a 5th placed finish in the Premier League and qualification for the UEFA Cup the following season.
The 2001–02 season was a disappointing one for Magilton and Ipswich, as the club suffered relegation from the Premier League. He continued to feature regularly in the league and in the UEFA Cup for Ipswich at the start of the season, although he did not feature as often during the second-half of the season. Following relegation from the Premier League in 2002, Ipswich went into administration. Magilton was told he could leave the club on a free transfer due to the club's financial troubles, despite having a year left on his contract, however he wanted to stay at the club, stating before the 2002–03 season; "There is no chance of me wanting to leave. I want to stay and repay the faith the manager and the supporters have shown in me." He made 47 appearances in all competitions during the season, scoring three goals.
Following the departure of Matt Holland in 2003, Magilton was named club captain. He signed a new one-year contract with the club in July 2003. On 27 September, he scored a late winner in a 2–1 away win over Watford. He captained Ipswich to a 5th placed finish during the 2003–04 season, qualifying for the play-offs, although Ipswich lost out to West Ham United in the semi-finals.
He signed another one-year contract in July 2004. Ipswich manager Joe Royle also confirmed that he would continue to keep the captain's armband, Royle said of Magilton; "It also shows the quality of Jim that even when he is having an off-day, he never hides on the pitch. He always shows that same 100 per cent commitment and is forever looking to receive the ball. That's a sign of a good player - and a captain." He scored 3 goals in 44 appearances over the course of the season, leading the team to 3rd in the Championship, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. Ipswich lost out to West Ham United for the second consecutive season in the play-off semi-finals.