Some very sad news to report this afternoon. Fulham legend Jimmy Conway has passed away aged 73 having fought a brave battle against dementia in recent years.

A classy midfielder or winger, Conway was born in Dublin in August 1946. He began his footballing education with Drumcondra junior side Stella Maris before moving on to Bohemians in 1964. He made the move to London to join Fulham as a 20 year-old two years later for £12,000 and quickly became a regular in an entertaining side, establishing himself as a firm fans’ favourite at Craven Cottage.

He scored on his first-team debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup and, after two seasons in the top flight, stayed with the Londoners when the Whites were relegated. Conway scored 20 goals in 1969/70 as Fulham missed on promotion, but netted eight times in 29 games during the following campaign to help his side return to the First Division as they finished second in the league, only a point behind Preston.

Conway spent a decade with the Whites, scoring 76 goals in 360  games and was never cautioned or sent off, a record which makes him the twentieth highest appearance maker in the club’s history. The Irish international, who played with his brother John during his time at Fulham, was also part of the side that famously went all the way to Wembley before losing the 1975 FA Cup final to West Ham. A scorer of sensational goals, including one from an outrageously acute angle at Gillingham in 1971, Conway was immortalised in the famous ‘We’ve got Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Conway on the wing’ song that can still be heard today. He eventually moved to Manchester City for £30,000 in 1976 and, although never a regular at Maine Road, was part of the side that finished runners up to Liverpool in 1977.

Conway, who won twenty caps for the Republic of Ireland, then spent two years with the Portland Timbers in the United States, where he made more than 60 appearances. He spent the majority of his time in America after ending his playing career, enjoying a two-year stint as assistant manager at the Timbers and then a six-year spell as manager of Pacific University. He was in charge of the Oregon State Beavers for eight years before returning to Portland, where he served as assistant coach for a further nine seasons.

Conway’s love of football was passed on to his son Paul, who also played for Portland, and Carlisle United during the 1990s.

We send our best wishes and condolences to Jimmy’s family.