Alec Linwood
Personal information
Full name Alexander Bryce Linwood[1][2]
Date of birth (1920-03-13)13 March 1920
Place of birth Drongan, Scotland
Date of death 26 October 2003(2003-10-26) (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

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.

Career

Born 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

St Mirren

Hibernian

Clyde

Morton

Career statistics

Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Partick Thistle 1939–40[3] Emergency League West 10––––1[lower-alpha 1]020
Total1000011020
St Mirren 1945–46[19] Southern League A 28162[lower-alpha 2]1611[lower-alpha 3]23720
Total28162161123720
Hibernian 1947–48[20] Scottish A Division 24145443003321
1948–49[21] 1280064001812
Total362254107005133
Clyde 1948–49[22] Scottish A Division 14676001[lower-alpha 4]02212
1949–50[23] 281222637[lower-alpha 5]94326
1950–51[24] 11133614[lower-alpha 6]2247
Total 5319121112412118945
Total 1185719162812141117998

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes Glasgow Charity Cup (1 app)
  2. ↑ SFA held Victory Cup instead of Scottish Cup
  3. ↑ Includes Renfrewshire Cup (1 app, 2 goals)
  4. ↑ Includes Glasgow Cup (1 app)
  5. ↑ Includes Glasgow Cup (6 apps, 9 goals) and Charity Cup (1 app)
  6. ↑ Includes Glasgow Cup (1 apps), Glasgow Charity Cup (1 app) and St Mungo Cup (2 apps, 2 goals)

    References

    1. ↑ "Alexander Bryce Linwood – Record Vs Heart of Midlothian". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
    2. ↑ "Alec Linwood". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
    3. 1 2 "Alex Linwood". The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
    4. ↑ James Taylor (2002). "Cairntable Echoes" (PDF). Ayrshire History. p. 137. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
    5. ↑ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
    6. 1 2 3 4 Paul Pettigrew (27 October 2003). "Past Master #6 – Alex Linwood". Clyde FC. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
    7. ↑ "England v Scotland, 16 October 1943". Association of Football Statisticians. 11v11.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
    8. ↑ "Alec Linwood". St.Mirren.info. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
    9. ↑ "Alec had a real eye for goal". Daily Record. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
    10. ↑ "TUESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 1945". Motherwell FC.net. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
    11. 1 2 Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986 (Hardback). Hutton Press. ISBN 0-907033-47-4. ().
    12. ↑ "Alec Linwood". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
    13. ↑ "Scotland and the 1950 World Cup". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
    14. ↑ "David Achieves Notable Feats". Clyde FC. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
    15. ↑ Bob Crampsey (1 November 2003). "Alex Linwood Footballer who debuted before the Second World War". The Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
    16. ↑ "War-time Competitions". StMirren.info. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
    17. ↑ "Renfrewshire Cup Final 1945/46". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
    18. ↑ "Renfrewshire Cup Final 1951/52". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
    19. ↑ "St. Mirren Programmes - Season 1945/46". SMFC Programmes. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
    20. ↑ "Games Involving Linwood, Alex in Season 1947/48". Fitbastats. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
    21. ↑ "Games Involving Linwood, Alex in Season 1948/49". Fitbastats. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
    22. ↑ "1948 - 1949 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
    23. ↑ "1949 - 1950 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
    24. ↑ "1950 - 1951 Fixtures". Clyde FC. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
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