Alex Donald

Last updated

Alex Donald
Personal information
Full name Alexander Donald [1]
Date of birth (1948-06-05) 5 June 1948 (age 76) [1]
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland [1]
Position(s) Right winger
Youth career
Winchburgh Albion
Pumpherston Juniors
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1965–1968 Port Vale 43 (0)
1968–1971 Derry City
Ballymena United
Managerial career
1983 Ballymena United (caretaker)
1983 Ballymena United (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alexander Donald (born 5 June 1948) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a winger for English club Port Vale between 1965 and 1968, and later played in Northern Ireland for Derry City and Ballymena United.

Contents

Early life

Donald won the West Lothian County Schools sprint title while at Kirkliston Primary School and then Winchburgh Secondary. [2]

Career

Donald played youth-team football for Winchburgh Albion and Pumpherston Juniors. [2] He had a successful trial with Jackie Mudie's Port Vale over the summer of 1965, having joined in July he signed as a professional by October. [1] He made his debut on 12 January 1966 in a 2–0 defeat by Bradford City at Valley Parade, in what was the youngest ever front-line in the history of the Football League – consisting of Donald (17), Roddy Georgeson (17), Mick Cullerton (17), Paul Bannister (18), and Paul Ogden (19). [1] He played 11 Fourth Division games in 1965–66, before making 24 appearances in the 1966–67 campaign. [1] He featured ten times in the 1967–68 season under Stanley Matthews before he was given a free transfer in May 1968, and moved on to Derry City. [1] He spent three years with Derry, before turning part-time at Ballymena United whilst working a job as manager at a factory. [2] He was granted a testimonial match against Southampton in 1976 that was attended by George Best and Mick Channon. [2] He served the club as caretaker manager twice in 1983, taking charge after Ivan Murray left in February; Ian Russell served as manager between April and November, and Jim Platt was appointed manager in December. [3] He returned to the club as assistant to caretaker-manager Gary Erwin in October 1984. [4]

Personal and later life

He married Ann, a radiographer. [5] In 2018, Donald claimed a gold medal in the 400 metres event in his age category at the Scottish Masters Athletics Championships at Grangemouth Stadium. [2]

Career statistics

Source: [6]

ClubSeasonDivisionLeague FA Cup OtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1965–66 Fourth Division 1100000110
1966–67 Fourth Division2301000240
1967–68 Fourth Division900010100
Total4301010450

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glentoran F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours, making them one of the most successful teams in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena United F.C.</span> Association football club in Northern Ireland

Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds. The club has been managed by former captain Jim Ervin since 2023.

Gordon Francis Lee was an English football player and manager. He played 144 league and cup matches in a 12-year career in the Football League, before going on to greater success as a manager, as he would take charge of 777 matches in a 23-year managerial career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchburgh</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Winchburgh is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.

Robert William Smith is an English former footballer and football manager. He was capped by England at Schoolboys and Youth level. He is the son of Conway Smith and grandson of Billy Smith, from whom he gets his middle name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hutton (footballer)</span> Northern Irish footballer (born 1973)

Peter Hutton is a Northern Irish football coach and former player. A centre back, he spent the majority of his 21 years playing career with Derry City, and set a club record of over 670 appearances in the League of Ireland. His father, also named Peter, played for Finn Harps in the 1970s.

Paul William Millar is a Northern Irish former football player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hill (footballer, born 1935)</span> Northern Irish footballer and manager

Matthew James Hill is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager. A winger, he scored 66 goals in 242 league appearances in an 11-year career in the Football League. He also won seven caps for Northern Ireland.

Raymond Walker is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 440 games for Port Vale in all competitions between 1986 and 1997, ensuring himself a place in the club's history. He was twice the club's player of the season, and was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times. He was promoted twice with the club and also played a part in the club's highest ever post-war finish in the English Football League. With Aston Villa in the early '80s, he joined Port Vale in 1986, after a short loan spell in 1984. After eleven years at Vale Park he went into non-League football with Leek Town and Newcastle Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Grew</span> English footballer (born 1958)

Mark Stuart Grew is an English former football player and coach who played as a goalkeeper.

John Douglas Rowland was an English footballer who was known for his powerful 'hammer shot'. A forward, he scored 62 goals in 250 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League.

Michael Joseph Cullerton is a Scottish former footballer. He is noted for his two spells with Port Vale, as well as for being Stafford Rangers' star forward as they were one of the elite non-League clubs in the 1970s. He later worked behind the scenes at Port Vale and Stoke City, and commentated for BBC Radio Stoke.

Michael John Morris was an English footballer who played as a forward. He spent time with Barking, Grays Athletic, West Ham United, and Faversham Town, before he joined Oxford United in 1964. He helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1964–65, before he moved on to Port Vale in July 1967. He helped the "Valiants" to also win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70, before he was moved on to Stafford Rangers in May 1972. After five years with Rangers he ended his career at Leek Town.

Anthony John Lacey is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Stoke City, Port Vale, Rochdale, and Stafford Rangers. He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League, and won promotion out of the Fourth Division with Port Vale in 1969–70. He later went into coaching with Stoke City, and served as caretaker manager for eight games in 1985. He began coaching at the Wolverhampton Wanderers Academy in 1996.

Roderick Bruce Georgeson is an Egyptian former footballer, described by football historian Jeff Kent as "flamboyant". He scored 107 goals in 429 league games in a 17-year career in the Football League and Scottish Football League. He played for Bo'ness United, Port Vale, Dundee, Raith Rovers, Berwick Rangers, Dunfermline Athletic, Montrose, Meadowbank Thistle, Arniston Rangers, and Penicuik Athletic. He was promoted out of the Second Division with Meadowbank Thistle in 1982–83.

Gordon Taylor Logan is a Scottish former footballer who played at right-back for Port Vale, Kettering Town and Bo'ness United. He helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70. His father was footballer Rennie Logan and his son, Grant Logan, played lawn bowls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Bannister</span> English footballer

Paul Francis Bannister is an English former footballer who played as a forward. He made 12 appearances in the Football League for Port Vale between 1965 and 1968, before spells in non-League football with Eastwood, Milton United, Copestick & Farrell, Hanley Rangers, and Middleport W.M.C.

The 1965–66 season was Port Vale's 54th season of football in the English Football League, and their first season back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. For the first time in their Football League history they played three divisions below rivals Stoke City. Despite hope of a swift return to the third tier, the season proved a complete disaster, the club finishing nineteenth. The appointment of Stanley Matthews as general manager meant an adoption of a youth policy, which eventually saw four teenagers make their debut in one match, as well as the arrival of several Scottish youngsters.

The 1967–68 season was Port Vale's 56th season of football in the English Football League and their third-successive season in the Fourth Division. A poor season saw them battle to mid-table to avoid the re-election zone. Yet it would be off-the-field developments that would worry Vale supporters the most. An FA/Football League Joint-Inquiry investigated the club as club officials were forced to admit several breaches of the rules regarding payment of players. The result was expulsion from the League, however, before the start of the following season a vote of 39 to 9 allowed the club to be immediately readmitted to the competition. The whole saga was rather ironic, as the club re-entered the League in 1919 after Leeds City were expelled over illegal payments to their players. On the playing front, it was the final season of both Harry Poole and Terry Miles' careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Jones (footballer, born 1994)</span> English footballer (born 1994)

Alexander Richard Jones is an English footballer who plays as a forward for National League club Tamworth.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 86. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kirkliston's ex-pro footballer Alex still a speed merchant at 70". www.linlithgowgazette.co.uk. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "WE continue looking back at "The Glory Years", starting with a few managerial changes in between the 1980/81 and 1983/84 cup victories". www.ballymenaunitedfc.com. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Twice In A Blue Moon". BUFC Archive. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Agent News". Ballymena United Football Club Official Website. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Alex Donald at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.