Alexander Bryce Linwood (13 March 1920 – 26 October 2003) was a Scottish footballer who played for St Mirren, Middlesbrough, Hibernian, Clyde, Greenock Morton and the Scotland national team.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alexander Bryce Linwood[1][2] | ||
Date of birth | 13 March 1920 | ||
Place of birth | Drongan, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 26 October 2003 | (aged 83)||
Place of death | Renfrew, Scotland | ||
Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1938 | Muirkirk | ||
1938–1946 | St Mirren | 4 | (0) |
1940 | → Partick Thistle (loan)[3] | 0 | (0) |
1946–1947 | Middlesbrough | 14 | (3) |
1947–1948 | Hibernian | 36 | (23) |
1948–1951 | Clyde | 56 | (20) |
1951–1955 | Greenock Morton | 101 | (72) |
International career | |||
1943 | Scotland (wartime) | 1 | (0) |
1948 | Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) |
1949 | Scotland | 1 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Career
editBorn in the tiny mining settlement of Drumsmudden, near Drongan in Ayrshire, Linwood began working in the mines at the age of 14. He played schools and juvenile football before joining the newly formed Muirkirk Juniors in 1938.[4] Linwood signed for St Mirren the same year,[5] however on the outbreak of World War II, the player was forced to resume his mining career for the war effort.[6]
A centre-forward, Linwood continued to play wartime football for St. Mirren and also played in an unofficial international match against England at Maine Road in 1943 which the Scots lost 8–0.[7] In all, Linwood scored 165 goals in 236 competitive matches for St Mirren between 1938–1946 and remains the club's second top goalscorer of all time.[8] He finished as the team's top scorer in all seven seasons with the club.[9]
After Motherwell had a bid rejected in November 1945,[10] Linwood moved to Middlesbrough in 1946 but struggled to make an impact in the English First Division, partly due to still having to work as a miner while his teammates were full-time professionals.[6] The player returned to Hibernian and won the Scottish Football League championship in 1948, his only senior footballing honour.[11]
Later in 1948, Linwood represented the Scottish League XI.[12] In November 1949, now as a Clyde player, Linwood scored in his only cap for Scotland, a 2–0 win over Wales in a British Home Championship match which doubled as a 1950 World Cup qualifier.[11][13]
While at Shawfield, Linwood played in 1949 Scottish Cup final and scored 30 goals the season after.[6] He was the first post-war Clyde player to net five goals in a match.[14]
He later moved to Morton in 1951 before retiring in 1955. Linwood died on 23 October 2003 at the age of 83.[15]
Honours
editSt Mirren
Hibernian
Clyde
- Scottish Cup: Runner-up 1948–49[6]
Morton
Career statistics
editClub | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Partick Thistle | 1939–40[3] | Emergency League West | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
St Mirren | 1945–46[19] | Southern League A | 28 | 16 | 2[b] | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1[c] | 2 | 37 | 20 |
Total | 28 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 20 | ||
Hibernian | 1947–48[20] | Scottish A Division | 24 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 21 |
1948–49[21] | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 12 | ||
Total | 36 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 33 | ||
Clyde | 1948–49[22] | Scottish A Division | 14 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 22 | 12 |
1949–50[23] | 28 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 7[e] | 9 | 43 | 26 | ||
1950–51[24] | 11 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4[f] | 2 | 24 | 7 | ||
Total | 53 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 89 | 45 | ||
Total | 118 | 57 | 19 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 179 | 98 |
Notes
edit- ^ Includes Glasgow Charity Cup (1 app)
- ^ SFA held Victory Cup instead of Scottish Cup
- ^ Includes Renfrewshire Cup (1 app, 2 goals)
- ^ Includes Glasgow Cup (1 app)
- ^ Includes Glasgow Cup (6 apps, 9 goals) and Charity Cup (1 app)
- ^ Includes Glasgow Cup (1 apps), Glasgow Charity Cup (1 app) and St Mungo Cup (2 apps, 2 goals)
References
edit- ^ "Alexander Bryce Linwood – Record Vs Heart of Midlothian". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ "Alec Linwood". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Alex Linwood". The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ James Taylor (2002). "Cairntable Echoes" (PDF). Ayrshire History. p. 137. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
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(help) - ^ a b c d Paul Pettigrew (27 October 2003). "Past Master #6 – Alex Linwood". Clyde FC. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "England v Scotland, 16 October 1943". Association of Football Statisticians. 11v11.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Alec Linwood". St.Mirren.info. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Alec had a real eye for goal". Daily Record. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "TUESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 1945". Motherwell FC.net. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986 (Hardback). Hutton Press. ISBN 0-907033-47-4. ().
- ^ "Alec Linwood". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ^ "Scotland and the 1950 World Cup". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "David Achieves Notable Feats". Clyde FC. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Bob Crampsey (1 November 2003). "Alex Linwood Footballer who debuted before the Second World War". The Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "War-time Competitions". StMirren.info. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Renfrewshire Cup Final 1945/46". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Renfrewshire Cup Final 1951/52". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "St. Mirren Programmes - Season 1945/46". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Games Involving Linwood, Alex in Season 1947/48". Fitbastats. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Games Involving Linwood, Alex in Season 1948/49". Fitbastats. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "1948 - 1949 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "1949 - 1950 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "1950 - 1951 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
External links
edit- Alec Linwood at the Scottish Football Association
- Profile at Londonhearts.com
- Alec Linwood at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Alec Linwood, www.ihibs.co.uk