Andy Swallow Explained

Andy Swallow
Fullname:Andrew Swallow
Height:5ft 9+1/2in[1]
Birth Date:11 August 1904
Birth Name:Andrew Kregsdis[2]
Birth Place:Bellshill, Scotland
Death Date:[3]
Death Place:Perth, Scotland
Years1:
Clubs1:Shettleston
Years2:1924–1930
Clubs2:St Johnstone
Caps2:179
Goals2:6
Years3:1930–1935
Clubs3:Millwall
Caps3:40
Goals3:3
Years4:1935–1936
Clubs4:Morton
Caps4:31
Goals4:0
Years5:
Totalcaps:250
Totalgoals:9

Andrew Swallow (11 August 1904 – 15 June 1969) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre half or left half.[4]

A member of North Lanarkshire's Lithuanian immigrant community[5] and registered at birth with the surname Kregždė (anglicised to Kregsdis, this translates to swallow which was subsequently adopted by the family) he began his senior career with St Johnstone, newly promoted to Scottish Division One in November 1924. From then he was a regular presence in the Saints defence alongside the likes of Hugh Lafferty and Willie Imrie,[6] making nearly 200 appearances in the league and Scottish Cup as the Perth club maintained their top-level status until the end of the 1929–30 season when they were relegated, at which point Swallow departed, moving on to English football with Millwall. He played less regularly for the Lions than he had in Scotland, making 40 appearances across five years (four in the Football League Second Division and the last in the Third Division South). In 1935 he returned north of the border and spent one season with Morton.[4] He spent his later life working as a bookmaker's clerk in Perth, his wife's hometown.[3]

Swallow was a member of a Scottish Football Association party which toured North America in 1927,[2] [7] [8] but never received a full cap for Scotland.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://playupliverpool.com/1927/08/01/season-preview-192728-st-johnstone-f-c-athletic-news/ Season preview 1927/28: St. Johnstone F.C.
  2. Web site: Scotland Unofficial Matches 1927 . Douglas Gorman and Gabriele Tossani. 2 February 2021. RSSSF. 4 February 2021.
  3. https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=people&surname=kregždė&surname_so=exact&forename_so=starts&record_type=stat_deaths Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results
  4. A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players. John Litster. Scottish Football Historian magazine. October 2012.
  5. Web site: Lithuanians in Lanarkshire. Legacies: UK history local to you. BBC. 18 January 2021.
  6. https://www.perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk/significant-saints Significant Saints Willie Imrie
  7. Web site: British "FA XI" Tours: 1927 Tour of Canada by the Scottish FA. Neil Morrison. 4 January 2018. 4 February 2021. 22 November 2011. RSSSF. https://web.archive.org/web/20111122225747/http://rsssf.com/tablesb/britishfatours.html#1927SCO. live.
  8. Web site: Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927. Canadian Soccer History. 6 July 2020 .