Harry Graham (footballer)

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Harry Graham
Personal information
Full name Harry Graham[1]
Date of birth (1887-12-16)16 December 1887
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 1940 (aged 52–53)[2]
Place of death Scotland[1]
Height 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m)[3]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19??–1908 Granton Oakvale
1908–1910 St Bernard's
1910–1911 Bradford City 11 (0)
1911–1912 Birmingham 12 (4)
1912–1913 Raith Rovers (6[4])
1913–1920 Heart of Midlothian 146 (46)
1920–1924 Leicester City 110 (14)
1924–1925 St Bernard's
1925–1926 Reading 12 (0)
International career
1914 Scottish Football League XI 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Harry Graham (16 December 1887 – 1940) was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish Football League for Raith Rovers and Heart of Midlothian,[5] and in the Football League for Bradford City, Birmingham, Leicester City and Reading.[6] He played as an inside forward.

Career[edit]

Graham was born in Edinburgh.[1] He began his career in the Junior grade and was selected twice for Scotland at that level in 1908.[7][8] He also played for St Bernard's before moving to England to sign for Bradford City in April 1910. He played 11 First Division games without scoring, and in October 1911 joined Second Division club Birmingham. Graham played 12 times for Birmingham, scoring four goals, but he was principally a playmaker, and the club's need was for a goalscorer. In September 1912 he returned to Scotland and signed for Raith Rovers,[1] for whom he appeared in the 1913 Scottish Cup Final.[9]

Graham moved on at the end of the season to Heart of Midlothian, who were looking for a replacement for the recently retired Bobby Walker.[10] Before and during the First World War, Graham scored 41 goals from 120 appearances in the Scottish League,[5] and the League rewarded him with selection for a representative match against the Southern League in October 1914.[11] A qualified dentist,[1] Graham was turned down for "McCrae's Battalion" in 1914 because of asthma,[12] but during the 1916–17 season he was conscripted into the Army, and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and as a private with the Gloucestershire Regiment. On his return to Hearts, he struggled to get into the first team,[13] and in December 1920 he returned to England and joined Leicester City.[1]

Despite his age – it was around the time of his 33rd birthday when he joined the club – Graham played more than 100 games for Leicester in the Second Division,[6] which he followed with six months with former club St Bernard's and another return to England, where he contributed to Reading's championship of the Third Division South in the 1925–26 season.[1][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  2. ^ Alexander, Jack (2004). McCrae's Battalion: The Story of the 16th Royal Scots. Mainstream Publishing / Random House. ISBN 9781845968212. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  3. ^ "The lure of promotion. Leicester City". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Raith Rovers Scorers 1912–13". free-elements.com. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Harry Graham". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  7. ^ "Scotland Junior Internationals" (XLS). Scottish Football Historical Archive. Brian McColl. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  8. ^ The Hawthorns Series, Scottish Sport History, October 2014
  9. ^ "1913". Scottish Cup Final Archive. Scottish Football Association. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  10. ^ Speed, David; Knight, Alex (16 April 2007). "1904–1914". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  11. ^ "Mon 12 Oct 1914 Southern League 1 SFL 1". Scotland The Complete Record 1872 to 2005. London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  12. ^ Alexander, Jack (18 March 2011). McCrae's Battalion: The Story of the 16th Royal Scots. ISBN 9781845968212. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  13. ^ Speed, David; Knight, Alex (15 June 2007). "1914–1924". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  14. ^ "Reading". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
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