A NEW documentary is set to tell the extraordinary story of the murdered Belfast striker Jimmy Hasty, who lost an arm as a teenager but still enjoyed a successful footballing career with Dundalk FC.
Originally from the Sailortown area of Belfast, the 38-year-old father of two was shot dead in October 1974 as he walked to work on Brougham Street near the current site of Yorkgate Shopping Centre.
The Protestant Action Force, a cover named used by the UVF, claimed responsibility for his killing at the time.
He had been an iconic player for Dundalk FC in the 1960s, scoring more than 100 goals during six seasons with the club.
This was all the more remarkable as he lost an arm at the age of 14, following his first day of work at Jennymount Mill in north Belfast.
His success with Dundalk also made history when his squad became the first Irish team to win away from home in the old European Cup with victory over FC Zurich in 1963.
This month, a documentary about his life will air on UEFA TV, featuring interviews with those closest to him.
“A catalogue of the lives lost in the Troubles lists him as Victim 1205,” the programme makers say.
“But behind the violent death and anonymous number lies an incredible life...the life of Jimmy Hasty, a European footballer with a difference, and a man who redefined perceptions of how the game could be played.”
In a trailer, one contributor recalls: “The news went around the town like wildfire. Dundalk signed a guy with one arm.”
Another said: “From a wee lad in Sailortown losing his arm, and then he gets to live his dream playing football in the European Cup.”
On the shocking moment of his death, one man said: “There was someone lying on the pavement, then I realised there was a policeman beside me. And his first words were, ‘Oh my God, it’s Jimmy Hasty.’”
On the walls of the American Bar in Sailortown, a framed picture of Jimmy Hasty and a plaque on the wall tells about how he had been destined for a life labouring on the docks before his accident.
"Unperturbed, he became a successful footballer. Unable to get insurance to play in England he spent six seasons at Dundalk from 1960, where he scored more than 100 goals, won a league title and four Irish Cups," the tribute reads.
“When his football career ended in the 1970s, he returned to Belfast where he was tragically shot dead by paramilitaries in a random tit-for-tat shooting. He is aptly remembered as Jimmy Wonder.”
The trailer for 'The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty' is available to watch on www.uefa.tv, with the full programme to be released later this month.
