John Walker (footballer, born 1902)

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For other people named John Walker, see John Walker (disambiguation).

John Walker
Personal information
Date of birth 1 February 1902[1]
Place of birth Dalmuir, Scotland[1]
Position(s) Outside left[2]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Yoker Athletic
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
1920–1927 Hibernian 195 (41)
1927–1929 Swindon Town 20 (4)
1929–1930 Ebbw Vale
1930–1931 Bath City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Walker (born 1 February 1902) was a Scottish footballer who played for Yoker Athletic, Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Hibernian, Swindon Town, Ebbw Vale and Bath City. His position was outside left.

Career[edit]

Born in Dalmuir (now part of Clydebank), Walker began his playing career with local Junior team Yoker Athletic, moving on Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in the same system.[1] He may have been a provisional signing for Rangers[2] but did not play a competitive match for the Glasgow club before he was signed by Hibernian in November 1920.[1][3]

He would spend the next seven years at Easter Road, during which the Hibees built a strong team (mostly brought in by manager Davy Gordon but improved by his successor Alex Maley).[4] He joined the club around the same time as Jimmy Dunn and Johnny Halligan,[3] two other emerging forwards from the Glasgow area, and all three – along with the experienced Jimmy McColl – became important attacking elements of the team which played in two Scottish Cup finals in 1923 (lost to Celtic)[5] and 1924 (defeated by Airdrieonians).[6] He was given the nickname "darkie" due to his black hair.[3][a]

After making 218 appearances for Hibernian in major competitions (46 goals),[1] Walker was allowed to leave the club on a free transfer in summer 1927,[7] joining Swindon Town of the English Football League Third Division South for two seasons, where he was not a regular starter.[2] He then had spells in the Southern Football League with Ebbw Vale and Bath City before retiring.

The closest he came to any representative honours was an appearance in a Scottish Football League XI trial in 1925.[8]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The name possibly also referenced a local player of the same name who played in the same position and had the same nickname owing to his Afro-Caribbean ethnicity, who had played for Hibs' rivals Leith Athletic and Hearts 20 years earlier.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Hibernian player John Walker". FitbaStats. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Player profile: John Walker". Swindon-Town-FC. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "We Are Hibernian FC - Part Twenty One". Hibs.net. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  4. ^ "David Smith Gordon". www.hibsprogrammes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Scottish Cup Final". Glasgow Herald. 2 April 1923. Retrieved 24 September 2018 – via The Celtic Wiki.
  6. ^ "We Are Hibernian FC - Part Twenty Four". Hibs.net. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  7. ^ "We Are Hibernian FC - Part Twenty Five". Hibs.net. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  8. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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