John Smith (footballer, born 1855)

John Smith
Personal information
Date of birth 12 August 1855
Place of birth Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland
Date of death 16 November 1934(1934-11-16) (aged 79)
Place of death Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Playing position Inside-Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1877–79 Mauchline
1880–81 Edinburgh University
1883–84 Queen's Park
1884–88 Corinthian FC
National team
1877–84 Scotland 10 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Dr. John Smith (12 August 1855 – 16 November 1934) was a Scottish footballer of the 1870s and 1880s. He is also notable for playing rugby union and was a member of the first British Lions team that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1888.

Career history

Smith began playing football at Mauchline F.C. before transferring to Edinburgh University while he studied. After completing his studies in the early 1880s he joined Queen's Park by which time he had already made several appearances for the Scottish national team.

At Queen's Park he won the Scottish Cup in 1881, 1882 and 1884. He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Scottish Cup final when he scored all three of Queen's Park's goals in the 1881 final replay against Dumbarton.[1] He was not selected to play in the 1882 cup final and no final took place in 1884 but Queen's Park were awarded the trophy after Vale of Leven failed to appear for the final. In 1884 Smith was part of the Queens Park team that reached the FA Cup Final, Queens Park lost 2–1 to Blackburn Rovers.

Smith often played under the pseudonym J.C. Miller and J.S. Miller. He also played occasionally as a guest for the Corinthians, Swifts and Liverpool Ramblers FC. He was banned from playing for or against any Scottish club or the Scottish national team in 1885 after he played for Corinthians against a professional English club, thus breaching the Scottish Football Association's amateur regulations.[2]

He earned ten caps in total for Scotland, scoring 10 goals.

As well as football, Smith also played rugby union. He played as a forward for Edinburgh University and Edinburgh Wanderers and in 1876 was a reserve for the Scottish national rugby team. In 1888 he was selected as a member of the British Isles team to tour New Zealand and Australia.[3] His primary role on the tour was to act as the team's tour referee. His skills as a player were called upon on nine occasions, though he failed to score in any of the matches.[3][4]

As a physician, he practised in Brycehall, Kirkcaldy and sometimes officiated as a football referee.

International goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 April 1879Kennington Oval, London England3–14–5Friendly
27 April 1879Acton Park, Wrexham Wales2–03–0Friendly
37 April 1879Acton Park, Wrexham Wales3–03–0Friendly
412 March 1881Kennington Oval, London England1–06–1Friendly
512 March 1881Kennington Oval, London England3–16–1Friendly
612 March 1881Kennington Oval, London England5–16–1Friendly
710 March 1883Bramall Lane, Sheffield England1–03–2Friendly
810 March 1883Bramall Lane, Sheffield England2–13–2Friendly
912 March 1883Acton Park, Wrexham Wales1–03–0Friendly
1015 March 1884Cathkin Park, Glasgow England1–01–0British Home Championship

References

  1. ↑ "Cup Final Hat-tricks". Scottishleague.net.
  2. ↑ Doctor on the national team suspended
  3. 1 2 "John Smith". lionsrugby.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Clem (2013). 125 Years of the British and Irish Lions: The Official History. Random House. ISBN 9781780577388.
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