John Blair (footballer, born 1897) explained

John Blair
Height:5ft 9in
Position:Outside right
Birth Date:27 June 1897
Birth Place:Saltcoats, Scotland
Death Place:Saltcoats, Scotland
Years1:
Clubs1:Saltcoats Victoria
Years2:1920–1925
Clubs2:Partick Thistle
Caps2:140
Goals2:31
Years3:
Clubs3:Saltcoats Victoria
Years4:

John Blair (27 June 1897 – 4 February 1971)[1] was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right, mainly for Partick Thistle where he spent six seasons,[2] making 173 appearances for the Jags in all competitions and scoring 33 goals.[1] Blair scored the only goal of the 1921 Scottish Cup Final when Partick defeated Rangers to claim the trophy for the only time in their history.[3] [4]

Having gradually lost his regular place to David Ness who joined the club in 1923, two years later Blair left Thistle and made the unusual step of returning to his hometown team Saltcoats Victoria in the junior leagues, normally populated by promising teenagers (indeed Blair had also started his career at the same club),[2] those who never reached professional status or veterans approaching retirement, rather than a player in his mid-20s with a proven reputation at a high level. It is likely the move was linked to a desire to remain close to home to support the plumbing business he had established, and with no senior clubs in northern Ayrshire he willingly moved back down the grades.[1] It is known that his play was still of a high enough standard to be selected for Scotland at Junior international level on four occasions.[5]

Notes and References

  1. http://thethistlearchive.wikidot.com/john-blair John Blair
  2. A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players. John Litster. Scottish Football Historian magazine. October 2012.
  3. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VhY-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=EkoMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2154%2C5704021 Scottish Cup Final Partick Thistle's First Victory
  4. https://spfl.co.uk/news/10-things-about-partick-thistle 10 Things About Partick Thistle
  5. http://partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com/page/BLAIR%2C+John+1920-21 Blair, John