Alex McCrae
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander McCrae[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 January 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Whitburn, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 8 October 2009 (aged 89) | ||
| Place of death | Livingston, Scotland | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1941–1947 | Heart of Midlothian | 156 | (62) |
| 1947–1948 | Charlton Athletic | 43 | (8) |
| 1948–1953 | Middlesbrough | 122 | (47) |
| 1953–1957 | Falkirk | 94 | (33) |
| Ballymena United | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1957–1960 | Ballymena United | ||
| 1960 (Jan-Mar) | Stirling Albion | ||
| 1960–1965 | Falkirk[2] | ||
| 1969–1971 | Ballymena United | ||
| 1972 | Glentoran | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alexander McCrae (2 January 1920 – 8 October 2009) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Hearts, Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough and Falkirk during his career.
Playing career
[edit | edit source]McCrae began his career at Hearts in 1941. He later moved to London to play for Charlton Athletic but was unable to settle and was snapped up by Middlesbrough for £10,000 in October 1948.
The versatile frontman could play in any forward position but favoured the inside left role. He began his career with the club in the 1948–49 season in the absence of Wilf Mannion, but his form was poor and soon he was dropped from the side. Eventually, he was recalled alongside Mannion, where he showed his pace, accurate passing and sublime ball skills.
After scoring 16 goals in the 1949–50 season, including the winner in a home 1–0 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day, he became a fans favourite. He topped the scoring charts the next season, scoring three hat-tricks before Christmas, but injury robbed him from helping the side finish higher than sixth in the table that season. McCrae then scored 21 goals in the 1950/51 season.[3] As of 2009, he was the last player to score 20 goals in a season for Middlesbrough while playing in the top division of the English football league system.[3]
He left the club for Falkirk in 1953, and followed this with a spell in Northern Ireland with Ballymena.[4] During his stint with Ballymena, McCrae made one appearance for the Irish League representative team.[1]
After football
[edit | edit source]After retiring from playing, he became Middlesbrough's scout in Scotland, where he recommended future legend Jim Platt to the club.
Honours
[edit | edit source]- Falkirk
- Stirlingshire Cup : 1960–61, 1963–64
References
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ http://www.ballymenaunited.co.uk/history/alex_mccrae.html[permanent dead link]
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Alex McCrae at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Obituary in The Herald
- 1920 births
- 2009 deaths
- Charlton Athletic F.C. players
- Falkirk F.C. managers
- Falkirk F.C. players
- Men's association football inside forwards
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
- Middlesbrough F.C. players
- People from Whitburn, West Lothian
- Footballers from West Lothian
- Scottish Football League players
- Scottish men's footballers
- Scottish football managers
- English Football League players
- NIFL Premiership players
- Glentoran F.C. managers
- Stirling Albion F.C. managers
- Scottish Football League managers
- Ballymena United F.C. managers
- Irish League representative players
- 20th-century Scottish sportsmen
- NIFL Premiership managers
- Ballymena United F.C. players