John Edgar (Scottish footballer)

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John Edgar
Personal information
Full name John Edgar[1]
Place of birth Scotland[1]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1???–1901 Parkhead
1899 Heart of Midlothian (trial) 0 (0)
1901–1902 Woolwich Arsenal 10 (1)
1903–1904 Airdrieonians
1904 Third Lanark
1904–1909 Aberdeen 52 (9)
1909 Hibernian (trial) 4 (0)
1909–1913 Aberdeen 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Edgar (fl. 1898–1929), also known as Johnny Edgar, was a Scottish footballer who played as an inside forward.

He played junior football for Parkhead before turning professional with Football League Second Division club Woolwich Arsenal in 1901. After just one season in England, he returned to Scotland, where he played in the Scottish League for Airdrieonians, Third Lanark and, from 1904, for Aberdeen. He remained associated with Aberdeen for ten years, as player, reserve team coach, and official. In addition, he made occasional appearances for Queen's Park, Ayr Parkhouse, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian and Montrose.

Edgar was president of Montrose F.C. for three years in the early 1920s, and was active in sports administration in the Montrose area, where he and his wife had settled. In 1929, the couple emigrated to Canada.

Life and career[edit]

Edgar played as an inside forward for Glasgow-based junior club Parkhead, and made occasional appearances as a junior for Scottish League clubs including Queen's Park and Ayr Parkhouse,[2] and for Heart of Midlothian's East of Scotland League team.[3] While a Parkhead player, he was selected by the Scottish Junior Football Association to represent the association against their Irish counterparts in Belfast in March 1899.[4]

In October 1901 – dubbed "perhaps the most brilliant junior forward in Scotland at the present time" – Edgar moved to England where he signed for Second Division club Woolwich Arsenal.[2] He made his Football League debut that same month, against Gainsborough Trinity, and kept his place for a few matches before losing it first to Isaac Owens and then to Walter Anderson. He finished the season with ten Football League appearances, scoring once, in a 1–1 draw with Blackpool, and played seven times in other competitions.[5]

He then returned to Scotland. In August 1903 he joined Airdrieonians, newly elected to the Scottish League First Division.[6] He moved on to Third Lanark, and in November 1904, signed for Aberdeen of the Second Division.[7] He was recommended to the club by team captain Duncan McNichol, who had played with him at Woolwich Arsenal.[8] He made his first league appearance for Aberdeen on 3 December against St Bernard's, playing at centre forward in place of Augustus Lowe, who was unwell.[9] He had a poor game, but scored – according to the Dundee Football Post, after 17 minutes of the second half, "Edgar, who had done nothing up till now, headed into the net" – but the match was abandoned because of bad light with a few minutes left to play.[10] His official senior debut came the following week, at home to Hamilton Academicals;[11] Aberdeen lost, and the Courier found Edgar no better at inside right than he was in the centre.[12] Despite such an apparently unpromising start, Edgar played 14 league games in 1904–05, in which Aberdeen finished seventh in the Second Division and were elected to the First Division for 1905–06. Over the next two seasons, he contributed six goals from 31 league games,[11] and became a popular member of the team.[13]

He was reinstated as an amateur in September 1909,[14] and played four matches for Hibernian as a triallist,[15] before returning to Aberdeen.[16] He remained with the club for ten years as player, coach to the reserve team, and honorary official,[17] and an Evening Express editorial stated that "If any man deserved a benefit for services rendered to the Aberdeen Football Club, that man is John Edgar. For years he was a prominent wearer of the black and gold, and at present successfully manages the reserve team. His popularity with players and public alike was fully demonstrated last night, when the match on his behalf took place".[18] The benefit match in question, between teams of current and former Aberdeen players and refereed by the beneficiary himself, attracted a crowd of 5,000 spectators and raised £100.[19]

Edgar was for three years president of Montrose F.C., a club for which he formerly played. During his tenure, the club won the Scottish Qualifying Cup and the Forfarshire Cup, both in the 1921–22 season.[20][21] He stepped down for business reasons in 1923.[22] He and his wife settled in the Montrose area, where he was active in other fields of sporting organisation, as president of the Rossie Athletic Club, captain of Montrose South Links Golf Club, and member of the Montrose Highland Gathering Committee. In 1929, Edgar and his wife emigrated to Canada.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–1998. Queen Anne Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-85291-585-8.
  2. ^ a b "Football. Another player for Woolwich Arsenal". Sunderland Daily Echo. 4 October 1901. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Football. Heart of Mid-Lothian v. Leith Athletic". The Scotsman. 16 August 1899. p. 10 – via British Newspaper Archive. East of Scotland League ... The Hearts, who included Edgar, a junior from the ranks of the Parkhead, Glasgow, in their team, opened proceedings.
    "J Edgar". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Scottish Junior Football Association. Selection of international teams". The Courier. Dundee. 15 March 1899. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "John Edgar". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
    "Arsenal first team line-ups". The Arsenal History. Andy Kelly and Mark Andrews. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ^ "The Football League. Meeting of the management committee". Nottingham Evening Post. 8 August 1903. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive. The following transfers were sanctioned: ... John Edgar, from Woolwich Arsenal to Airdrieonians.
    "Airdrieonians". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Aberdeen sign new player". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 11 November 1904. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive. The Directors of Aberdeen have signed on Edgar, the old Woolwich Arsenal and Third Lanark player. He has a good reputation as a forward who can fill any position, and he will no doubt prove a handy man in case of any emergency.
  8. ^ "Crack forward for Aberdeen". Evening Post. Dundee. 11 November 1904. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Duncan McNicol". Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Aberdeen v. St Bernards. Game stopped by darkness". Aberdeen Daily Journal. 5 December 1904. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Aberdeen v. St Bernard". Football Post. Dundee. 3 December 1904. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ a b "Johnny Edgar". Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Football Notes. Second Division games". The Courier. Dundee. 12 December 1904. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Aberdeen gossip". Aberdeen Daily Journal. 20 November 1908. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive. The local attraction will be the meeting of the Pittrodrie second string with Kirkcaldy ... This encounter will witness the reappearance of an old Pittodrie favourite. Johnny Edgar is to turn out on the left wing.
  14. ^ "17 professionals are reinstated as amateurs by S.F.A.". The Courier. Dundee. 8 September 1909. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ "Football Notes. Hibernian lose their first league match". Aberdeen Daily Journal. 28 September 1909. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Hibernian: Edgar, John". FitbaStats. Bobby Sinnet & Thomas Jamieson. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  16. ^ "Dundee want to have revenge on Hearts for cup tie reverse. Signed on". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 12 November 1909. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive. Johnny Edgar, who was recently on trial for the Hibs, has again thrown in his lot with Aberdeen.
  17. ^ "To-morrow's football match. Noted players to take part". Evening Express. Aberdeen. 14 April 1914. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ "Topics of the day. Johnnie Edgar's benefit". Evening Express. Aberdeen. 16 April 1914. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "Famous players at Pittodrie. How they acquitted themselves. Edgar's successful benefit". Evening Express. Aberdeen. 16 April 1914. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "Montrose back". Sunday Post. Dundee. 18 December 1921. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive. The victorious Montrose team got a hearty send-off from Buchanan Street station last night, and on reaching home were accorded a most demonstrative welcome. President John Edgar carried the Cup aloft through a cheering throng.
    "Montrose annex another cup". The Courier. Dundee. 1 May 1922. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ a b "Way-going gifts at Montrose. Mr. and Mrs. John Edgar honoured". The Courier. Dundee. 12 January 1929. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ^ "Montrose F.C. annual meeting". The Courier. Dundee. 7 June 1923. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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