Duncan McNicol (16 January 1874 – 5 March 1949) was a Scottish footballer.

Duncan McNicol
Personal information
Full name Duncan McNicol
Date of birth 16 January 1874[1][2]
Place of birth Bonhill, Scotland
Date of death 5 March 1949(1949-03-05) (aged 75)[1]
Place of death Aberdeen, Scotland
Position(s) Full-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1893–1894 Vale of Leven
1894 Darwen 1 (0)
1894–1897 Clyde 5 (0)
1897–1899 St Bernard's 18 (0)
1899–1903 Woolwich Arsenal 101 (1)
1903–1905 Aberdeen 36 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Born in Bonhill, Dumbartonshire, McNicol played in Scotland for local club Vale of Leven followed by Darwen in Lancashire (very briefly), Clyde in Glasgow and St Bernard's in Edinburgh,[3] before moving south of the border to join Woolwich Arsenal in June 1899.[4] He made his debut in a Second Division match against Leicester Fosse on 2 September 1899 and immediately became a first-team regular at left back; he played 30 out of 34 league matches in 1899–1900, which included appearing in Arsenal's 12–0 defeat of Loughborough on 12 March 1900.

He continued to feature regularly for the next two seasons, missing just five matches over the course of both 1900–01 and 1901–02. He eventually switched over to right back so Arsenal could accommodate Jimmy Jackson at left back; however the emergence of Archie Cross and a period of injury meant McNicol lost his place in 1902–03 and he eventually left Arsenal in October 1903. In total he played 112 matches, scoring one goal. He moved to Aberdeen and spent two seasons there as team captain[1] before retiring prematurely in 1905 due to injury.[5]

His elder brother John McNicol was also a footballer.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Duncan McNicol". AFC Heritage. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, Ancestry UK (subscription required)
  3. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Arsenal's manager goes missing – but we've found him, AISA Arsenal History Society, 8 June 2012
  5. ^ Willie Miller's Aberdeen Dream Team, Willie Miller & Rob Robertson; Black & White Publishing, 2011; ISBN 9781845024031
  • Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.