Samuel Alan Malcolmson (2 April 1947 – 18 September 2024) was a Scottish-born footballer who represented New Zealand internationally after he became a naturalised New Zealander in 1976. He played for teams in Cornwall, Scotland, Northern Ireland and New Zealand.

Sam Malcolmson
Malcolmson in 2011
Personal information
Full name Samuel Alan Malcolmson
Date of birth (1947-04-02)2 April 1947
Place of birth Dumfries, Scotland
Date of death 18 September 2024(2024-09-18) (aged 77)
Place of death Auckland, New Zealand
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969 Falmouth Town 14 (5)
1971–1972 Airdrieonians[1] 1 (0)
1972 Portadown
1972 Queen of the South[2] 8 (0)
1972–1973 Portadown
1973–1974 Albion Rovers[3] 25 (4)
1974–1975 Wellington Diamond[3]
1976–1978 Stop Out
1979 Eastern Suburbs
1981 Manurewa
1982 East Coast Bays
International career
1976–1982 New Zealand 15 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career in the United Kingdom

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Malcolmson was born in Cresswell, Dumfries, Scotland, on 2 April 1947.[4] Raised in nearby Dalbeattie, he served in the Royal Navy. At 17, he represented the British Combined Services in association football and athletics.[5] Whilst stationed at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, he played 14 games (5 goals) for Falmouth Town.[5] He went on to play for Airdrieonians,[1] then the team from the town of his birth, Queen of the South,[6] and Albion Rovers in his native Scotland.[7] In Northern Ireland, he played with Portadown for two spells.[5] He then emigrated in 1974 to New Zealand.[7]

New Zealand

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Malcolmson was often used as a striker and scored more than 50 goals in New Zealand's National League, but he was also comfortable with playing defence.[8]

Malcolmson became a naturalised New Zealander on 28 July 1976,[4] and scored on his full New Zealand men's national team international debut less than two months later in a 2–0 win over Burma on 13 September.[9] He went on to represent the All Whites at the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals in Spain, his sole appearance at the tournament being his last game for New Zealand in a 5–2 defeat against his native Scotland.[10][11] In doing so, he became the second of three players with Queen of the South among his ex-clubs to travel to the World Cup finals after George Hamilton and before Bernie Slaven. Malcolmson is the only one of the three to actually play at the finals.[7] Including friendlies and unofficial games against club sides, Malcolmson played 32 times for his adopted country,[10] scoring 5 goals,[12] ending his international playing career with 15 official A-international caps and 2 goals to his credit.[7][13][14]

After playing

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In 2013, Malcolmson became a founding committee member of the independent group Friends of Football.[15]

Malcolmson died in Auckland on 18 September 2024, at the age of 77.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b AIRDRIE UNITED:1946/47 – 2007/08, Newcastle Fans.
  2. ^ QUEEN OF THE SOUTH : 1946/47 – 2007/08, Newcastle Fans.
  3. ^ a b ALBION ROVERS : 1946/47 – 2007/08, Newcastle Fans.
  4. ^ a b "Samuel Alan Malcolmson in the New Zealand, naturalisations, 1843–1981". Ancestry.com Operations. 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Vale: Football mourns the loss of 1982 All White Sam Malcolmson". Friends of Football. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  6. ^ Queen of the South players to have been selected for World Cup Finals squad in the profile of George Hamilton
  7. ^ a b c d "World Cup Doonhamers" on www.qosfc.com
  8. ^ "All Whites legend Sam Malcolmson passes away". New Zealand Football.
  9. ^ "A-International Lineups". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  10. ^ a b NZ 1982 World Cup Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "1982 World Cup – New Zealand squad". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2007.
  12. ^ All Whites – Goal Scoring Record Archived 22 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "A-International Appearances – Overall". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  14. ^ "A-International Scorers – Overall". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  15. ^ Friends of Football Committee. Friends of Football. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
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