Daniel Blair (2 February 1905 – 7 March 1985) was a Scottish football player who began his senior career in North America before finishing it in England. He also earned eight caps with the Scotland national team.[2]
Early career
Although he was born in Parkhead, Scotland, Blair began with his career with junior clubs Rasharkin in 1920 and Cullybackey in 1921, while he was a student in Ireland.[3] He then went on to play in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with Davonport Albion in 1922.[3] He then moved to Toronto Scottish, and Willys Overland in 1923, before signing with the Providence Clamdiggers of the American Soccer League in 1924.[4][3]
Return to the UK
After one season, he returned to Scotland where he signed with Parkhead Juniors, shortly before moving to Clyde in April 1925.[3] He spent six seasons with Clyde[5] before transferring to Aston Villa of the Football League for £7,000 on 24 October 1931. Blair played 138 League and Cup games for Aston Villa.[3] He played 37 times as Villa finished runners up to Arsenal in the League Championship in 1932–33 and was a member of their team that reached the 1934 FA Cup semi final, where they were heavily beaten by the eventual winner Manchester City.[3] He then joined Blackpool. He made his debut for the Tangerines in the opening League game of the 1936–37 season, in a 2–1 victory at Leicester City on 29 August 1936.[3] He went on to be an ever-present that campaign, starting in all of the club's 42 League games and two FA Cup games, as the team won promotion from Division Two.[6] He remained with Blackpool until the Second World War in 1939. Throughout his whole career he played in 408 League matches and scored two goals, both for Clyde.[3]
International career
Blair made his International debut for Scotland in a 4–2 win over Wales at Ibrox in October 1928. He won a total of eight caps for his country.[3][7] He captained the team against Austria in May 1931.[8][9]
He received league honours with the Glasgow Junior League against the breakaway Intermediate League in 1925,[10] and later on with the senior Scottish League XI three times between 1927 and 1928.[3]
Selected to represent the Scottish FA XI team that toured Canada in 1927, Blair featured in eleven matches in total.[11] He earned further honours with Glasgow in the annual inter-city fixture Sheffield.[12]
Achievements
Clyde
- Scottish Division Two promotion: 1925–26
- Glasgow Cup winner: 1925–26
Aston Villa
- Football League First Division runner-up: 1932–33
Blackpool
- Football League Second Division promotion: 1936–37
- Lancashire Senior Cup winner: 1936–37
Scotland[7]
- British Home Championship winner: 1928–29
- Runner-up: 1931–32
See also
References
- ^ "Blackpool. Brightest chances for three years: seasoned recruits". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. vi – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Daniel Blair". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Blair Danny Image 1 Aston Villa 1936". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
"Blair Danny Image 6 Clyde 1929". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 20 April 2020. - ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921–1931. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3429-4.
- ^ [A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players], John Litster / Scottish Football Historian magazine, October 2012
- ^ "Brown Battles". Scots Football Worldwide. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b "DANIEL BLAIR". Scottish F.A. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "International Matches: Austria v Scotland, 1931". Scottish FA. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ Brown, Paul (15 January 2010). "Austria vs Scotland 1931". UFWC. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "GLASGOW LEAGUE BEATEN". Sunday Post. 25 October 1925. Retrieved 25 March 2022. (via) British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927". Canadian Soccer History. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
"Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
"Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927". SFHA. Retrieved 20 July 2020. - ^ "Glasgow Well Beaten in Inter-City Match". Glasgow Herald. 17 September 1929. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2020. (via) PTFC History Archive.
External links
- Profile at Aston Villa Player Database