John Hamilton Stirling (1887–1924) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Bradford Park Avenue, Coventry City, Middlesbrough and Stoke.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Hamilton Stirling | ||
| Date of birth | 1887[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Clydebank, Scotland[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1924 (aged 36–37)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1907–1908 | Clydebank Juniors | ||
| 1908–1911 | Clyde | 75 | (18) |
| 1911–1914 | Middlesbrough | 103 | (8) |
| 1914–1919 | Bradford Park Avenue | 31 | (2) |
| 1917 | → Third Lanark (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1919–1920 | Stoke | 20 | (1) |
| 1920 | Coventry City | 5 | (0) |
| 1920 | Dunfermline Athletic | ||
| 1920–1924 | Alloa Athletic | 64 | (7) |
| Total | 301 | (36) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career edit
Stirling was born in Clydebank and played for both local side Clydebank Juniors and then for Clyde (where he featured on the losing side in the 1910 Scottish Cup Final)[2] before moving to England with Middlesbrough in 1911.[1] He spent three seasons with the Ayresome Park club under the management of Thomas McIntosh the side finished in 3rd position in the First Division during the 1913–14 season. Stirling left for Bradford Park Avenue where he spent the 1914–15 season before football was halted due to the outbreak of World War I.[1]
After the end of the war Stirling joined Stoke who had just re-gained their Football League status after falling foul of financial mismanagement.[1] He played in 21 matches for Stoke, scoring once against Stockport County in October 1919.[1] He left for Coventry City in March 1920 and played five matches for the Sky Blues before returning to Scotland with Dunfermline Athletic (then playing in the Central League) and Alloa Athletic.[2]
At representative level, he played in the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots annual trial matches in 1912[3] and 1914[4] while with Middlesbrough, but never gained a full cap for Scotland. He also played in two editions of the Glasgow FA's annual challenge match against Sheffield while with Clyde.[2]
Career statistics edit
Source:[5]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1911–12 | First Division | 36 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| 1912–13 | First Division | 33 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 1913–14 | First Division | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| Total | 103 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 112 | 8 | ||
| Bradford Park Avenue | 1914–15 | First Division | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| Stoke | 1919–20 | Second Division | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Coventry City | 1919–20 | Second Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career Total | 159 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 172 | 11 | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ a b c John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Football. | Anglo-Scots, 4; Home Scots, 1., The Glasgow Herald, 12 March 1912
- ^ Association Football. | International Trial Match., The Glasgow Herald, 17 March 1914
- ^ Jock Stirling at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)