Alex McSpadyen
Personal information
Full name Alexander McCluckie McSpadyen
Date of birth 19 December 1914
Place of birth Holytown, Scotland
Date of death 1978 (aged 63–64)
Place of death Bellshill, Scotland
Position(s) Outside right
Youth career
1933 Chapelhall Juveniles[1]
1934 Newarthill Hearts[1]
1934–1935 Holytown United[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1948 Partick Thistle 123 (12)
1948–1949 Portadown
International career
1938–1941 Scottish League XI 3 (1)
1938–1939 Scotland 2 (0)
1940 Scotland (wartime) 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alexander McCluckie McSpadyen (19 December 1914 – 1978) was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right, mainly for Partick Thistle as well as for Aberdeen as a guest player during World War II[2] and Portadown after the conflict ended.[3]

Having been brought in to the Partick squad as an inexperienced teenager to potentially replace the long-serving Davie Ness,[1] McSpadyen won the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup at the end of his first season with the Jags[4] quickly became a first-team regular and gained international recognition[5] before his career progress was halted by the outbreak of war, which occurred when he was aged 24 and appeared to be coming to the peak of his abilities. He joined the Army and appeared for their select team in charity matches,[6] while also finding time to play for Partick Thistle in wartime competitions when possible. This brought his total number of appearances for the club to 297 with 33 goals,[7] although his official SFL and Scottish Cup totals were less than half of that (130/13).[5] After playing for Portadown, he returned to Holytown United as trainer until the club folded a year later.[8]

McSpadyen represented Scotland twice,[9] also playing in one unofficial wartime match,[10] and making three appearances for the Scottish Football League XI,[11] all between 1938 and 1941.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rapid Rise, the Sunday Post, 17 March 1935, via Partick Thistle History Archive
  2. ↑ Alex McSpadyen, AFC Heritage Trust
  3. ↑ "Alex McSpadyen". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Queen's in too big a hurry, The Sunday Post, 12 May 1935, via Partick Thistle History Archive
  5. 1 2 John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
  6. ↑ Player Representative Honours, Partick Thistle History Archive
  7. ↑ Players Mac / Mc, Partick Thistle History Archive
  8. ↑ 'The Men Who Made Scotland: The Definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939' by Andrew Mitchell, p.144 (published 2021) ISBN 979-8513846642
  9. ↑ "[Scotland player] Alex McSpadyen". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Irish XI v Scottish XI, 28 April 1940, 11v11.com
  11. ↑ (SFL player) Alec McSpadyen, London Hearts Supporters Club
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