John Smith (sportsman, born 1855)

John Smith (12 August 1855 – 16 November 1934) was a Scottish footballer of the 1870s and 1880s. He is also notable for playing rugby union and was a member of the first British Lions team that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1888.

John Smith
Personal information
Date of birth 12 August 1855
Place of birth Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland
Date of death 16 November 1934(1934-11-16) (aged 79)
Place of death Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Position(s) Inside-Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1877–1879 Mauchline
1880–1881 Edinburgh University
1881–1884 Queen's Park
1884–1888 Corinthian FC
International career‡
1877–1884 Scotland 10 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of
Rugby union career
Position(s) Full Back
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
- Edinburgh University
Edinburgh Wanderers		 ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1876
1876		 Edinburgh District
East of Scotland District		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1888 British and Irish Lions 9 (0)

Football career

Club career

Smith began playing football at Mauchline F.C. before transferring to Edinburgh University while he studied. After completing his studies in the early 1880s he joined Queen's Park, where he won the Scottish Cup in 1881, 1882 and 1884. He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Scottish Cup final when he scored all three of Queen's Park's goals in the 1881 final replay against Dumbarton.[1] He was not selected to play in the 1882 final and no match took place in 1884 – Queen's Park were awarded the trophy after Vale of Leven failed to appear. In 1884 Smith was part of the Queen's Park team that reached the FA Cup Final, losing 2–1 to Blackburn Rovers. Whilst at Queen's Park, he also finished second in the 100 yards at the inaugural Scottish Athletics Championships of 1883.[2]

Smith often played under the pseudonym J.C. Miller and J.S. Miller. He also played occasionally as a guest for the Corinthians,[3] Swifts and Liverpool Ramblers. He was banned from playing for or against any Scottish club or for the Scottish national team in 1885 after he played for Corinthians against a professional English club, thus breaching the Scottish Football Association's amateur regulations.[4][5]

International career

Smith earned ten caps in total for the Scotland national football team, scoring 10 goals. His first four appearances were as a Mauchline player – he was the sole club representative to have been selected for international duty.[6] In what proved to be his final appearance before being banished by the governing body, he scored the only goal of the match as Scotland defeated England to secure the 1883–84 British Home Championship (the first edition of the competition).[7]

International goals
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 April 1879Kennington Oval, London England3–14–5Friendly
27 April 1879Acton Park, Wrexham Wales2–03–0Friendly
33–0
412 March 1881Kennington Oval, London England1–06–1Friendly
53–1
65–1
710 March 1883Bramall Lane, Sheffield England1–03–2Friendly
82–1
912 March 1883Acton Park, Wrexham Wales1–03–0Friendly
1015 March 1884Cathkin Park [I], Glasgow England1–01–0British Home Championship

Referee

Smith sometimes officiated as a football referee.

Rugby Union career

As well as football, Smith also played rugby union. He played as a forward for Edinburgh University and Edinburgh Wanderers, and was capped by Edinburgh District in 1876 [8] and by East of Scotland District the following year.[9]

In 1876 Smith was a reserve for the Scottish national rugby team. In 1888 he was selected as a member of the British and Irish Lions team to tour New Zealand and Australia (this squad contained few full internationals as the national bodies perceived it akin to a professional enterprise and refused to sanction it).[10] His skills as a player were called upon on nine occasions, though he failed to score in any of the matches.[10][11] His primary role on the 1888 tour was to act as the team's referee.

Medical career

As a physician, he practised in Brycehall, Kirkcaldy.

See also

References
  1. "Cup Final Hat-tricks". Scottishleague.net.
  2. Scottish Athletics 1883-1983, John W. Keddie (1982)
  3. Scottish Corinthians, Andrew Watson: Corinthian
  4. Doctor on the national team suspended, IFFHS (archived version, 7 March 2012)
  5. John Smith, Before The 'D'...Association Football around the world, 1863-1937. 28 August 2016
  6. Scotland Football Records | Clubs played for | Mauchline, London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 21 February 2022
  7. Scotland v England 1884, Before The 'D'...Association Football around the world, 1863-1937. 21 August 2017
  8. Football. | Inter-City (Rugby) Match. The Glasgow Herald, 4 December 1876
  9. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000269/18770115/017/0003. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) (subscription required)
  10. "John Smith". lionsrugby.com. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  11. Thomas, Clem (2013). 125 Years of the British and Irish Lions: The Official History. Random House. ISBN 9781780577388.
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