John James McKinven (1 May 1941 – 25 July 2014) was a Scottish footballer who played as a left winger in the Scottish Football League for Raith Rovers and in the English Football League for Southend United and Cambridge United.

John McKinven
Personal information
Full name John James McKinven[1]
Date of birth (1941-05-01)1 May 1941[1]
Place of birth Campbeltown, Scotland
Date of death 25 July 2014(2014-07-25) (aged 73)[1]
Place of death Wishaw, Scotland
Position(s) Left winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Bathgate Thistle
1959–1960 Raith Rovers 6 (0)
1960–1969 Southend United 286 (62)
1969–1971 Cambridge United 18 (2)
1971–1972 Pegasus Athletic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career edit

McKinven was born in Campbeltown in 1941.[1] He played Junior football for Bathgate Thistle before joining the senior ranks with Raith Rovers in November 1958.[2] He made his debut during the 1959–60 Scottish Division One season, and made six league appearances in all.[3]

In May 1960, McKinven moved to England where he joined Southend United of the Third Division[1] as what the club website's history section dubs a "brilliant signing" who "would thrill Roots Hall for the best part of a decade".[4] He scored 62 goals from 286 league matches for Southend United,[3] and was the club's joint top scorer in the 1967–68 season.[5] In October 1968, he suffered a broken leg as a result of a late tackle by Lincoln City's Graham Taylor,[6] and missed the rest of the season.

In December 1969, he moved on to Cambridge United,[1] helped them win their second consecutive Southern League title and gain election to the Football League Fourth Division,[7] and took the corner kick from which Colin Meldrum scored the club's first ever Football League goal on the opening day of the 1970–71 season.[8]

On 17 September 1971, McKinven signed for Essex Senior League club Pegasus Athletic.[9]

McKinven was married to Pamela; the couple had two children, Kelli and Guy.[10] He died in Wishaw in 2014 at the age of 73.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "John McKinven". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  2. ^ Hosie, Rab. "Scottish League appearance records: Mc: 2" (DOC). Scottish Football Historical Archive. Brian McColl. p. 26. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b "John McKinven". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  4. ^ Miles, Peter (19 May 2016). "Blues History: The Sixties". Southend United F.C. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  5. ^ "League + Cup Results 1967–968". Southend United Football Club database. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Winger McKinven breaks leg in Southend drama". Daily Mirror. London. 8 October 1968. p. 31. Southend left winger John McKinven, the victim of a late tackle, was carried off with a fractured leg in the eighth minute.
    "Hall of Fame". The Shrimpers Trust. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  7. ^ Mason, Aaron (18 October 2016). "FA Cup: Cambridge United's Dover days". Cambridge News. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  8. ^ Blom-Cooper, Louis (16 August 1970). "A lesson for Cambridge". The Guardian. London. p. 16.
  9. ^ "Pegasus Athletic And Southend United A 1971/72". Essex Senior Football League. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Footballer dies". Wishaw Press. 20 August 2014. p. 67 – via Infotrac Newsstand.