Benny Yorston

Benjamin Collard Yorston (14 October 1905 – 1977) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Montrose, Aberdeen, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

Benny Yorston
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Collard Yorston
Date of birth (1905-10-14)14 October 1905
Place of birth Nigg, Scotland
Date of death 1977 (aged 71–72)
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1927 Montrose
1927–1931 Aberdeen 143 (101)
1932–1934 Sunderland 46 (24)
1934–1939 Middlesbrough 151 (54)
1941 Hibernian (guest) 0 (0)
1945 Dundee United 1 (0)
Total 340 (179)
International career
1931 Scotland 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Born in Nigg, Kincardineshire, the diminutive (5 ft 5in) forward played for Aberdeen juvenile sides Kittybrewster and Mugiemoss before joining Montrose in 1927.[1] He spent only 3 months with the Gable Endies before returning north to sign for Aberdeen F.C.. Yorston stayed with the Dons for five seasons and remains the club's record goal-scorer for a single season, having notched 38 goals in 1929–30. He won his only cap for Scotland against Ireland in 1931.

Yorston was one of five Aberdeen players dropped after a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock later that year. At the time, the reasons were not clear, but the club's official history claims that several players had been involved in a betting scandal. No players were ever charged with any offence, but none of them ever played for Aberdeen again.[2]

Yorston joined Sunderland for £2,000 in January 1932 (£148,000 today) then moved to their North-East rivals Middlesbrough for £1,250 in 1934 (£94,000 today). He stayed with Middlesbrough until the outbreak of the Second World War, during which he "guested" for Hibernian,[3] Aldershot, Reading, West Ham United[4] and Lincoln City,[1] featuring once for Dundee United shortly after the war ended.[5] He retired before the cessation of global hostilities.

Yorston's nephew Harry was also a professional footballer who, like his uncle, played for Aberdeen and the Scottish national side.

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6][7][8]
Club Season League National Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Aberdeen 1926–27 Scottish Division One 0 0 0 0 0 0
1927–28 28 17 0 0 28 17
1928–29 31 22 4 10 35 32
1929–30 38 38 4 7 42 45
1930–31 28 16 5 6 33 22
1931–32 18 8 0 0 18 8
Total 143 101 13 23 156 124
Sunderland 1931–32 First Division 14 11 0 0 14 11
1932–33 18 7 0 0 18 7
1933–34 14 6 3 1 17 7
Total 46 24 3 1 49 25
Middlesbrough 1933–34 First Division 12 7 - - 12+ 7+
1934–35 19 7 - - 19+ 7+
1935–36 42 13 - - 42+ 13+
1936–37 21 7 - - 21+ 7+
1937–38 25 8 - - 25+ 8+
1938–39 32 12 - - 32+ 12+
Total 151 54 - - 151+ 54+
Career total 340 179 16+ 24+ 342+ 203+

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[9]
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1931 1 0
Total 1 0

References
  1. Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986. Hutton Press. ISBN 0-907033-47-4.
  2. Webster, Jack (2003). The First 100 Years of The Dons: the official history of Aberdeen Football Club 1903 - 2003. Hodder and Stoughton. pp. 128–131. ISBN 0-340-82344-5.
  3. "Yorston, Benny". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  4. Hogg, Tony (1995). West Ham Who's Who. London: Independent UK Sports publications. p. 223. ISBN 1-899429-01-8.
  5. Gracie, Steve (2008). The Rise of the Terrors. Arabest Publishing Dundee. ISBN 978-0-9558341-1-0.
  6. "Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  7. "Sunderland AFC - Statistics, History and Records - from TheStatCat". www.thestatcat.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  8. "Benny Yorston » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  9. Benny Yorston at the Scottish Football Association
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