Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | [1] | 26 February 1943||
Place of birth | Hetton-le-Hole, City of Sunderland, England | ||
Date of death | 21 July 2018 75) | (aged||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1963–1982 | Queen of the South | 579 | (0) |
Gretna | |||
Dalbeattie Star | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Allan Ball (26 February 1943 – 21 July 2018) was an English footballer. Born in Hetton-le-Hole in County Durham, Ball played as a goalkeeper, spending most of his professional career with Scottish club Queen of the South in Dumfries. Ball made a club record 731 competitive first team appearances for the Doonhamers between 1963 and 1982. Ball also briefly played for Bishop Auckland, Stanley United and Gretna. In later years he was an Honorary Director at Queen of the South. [2] [3]
Ball played outfield as an inside left as a youngster before he was handed the green jersey when the Durham County Schools goalkeeper, future FA Cup winner Jimmy Montgomery with Sunderland, was injured during a match. [2]
As a 15-year-old, Ball deputised four times for Harry Sharratt at Bishop Auckland. Ball doubled his weekly income from working at South Hetton in the coal mine as a pit electrician by signing for Stanley United. [3]
In 1963, Ball signed for Queen of the South for £100. Ball was signed in the early hours of the morning after finishing his shift down the coal mine. [4] Ball joined Queens first eleven team that featured all-time leading goalscorer for Queens, Jim Patterson, right winger Ernie Hannigan and fellow long servants Iain McChesney and Jim Kerr. [2]
After Ball signed, goalkeeper and then player-manager George Farm promptly dropped himself to give Allan Ball his Queens debut on 14 December 1963 in a home 6–3 defeat to Falkirk. Retained for the visit of Celtic two weeks later, Ball played once more despite the Doonhamers losing the game 2–0. [2]
Allan Ball made 819 Queen of the South appearances, including 507 matches consecutively and was only once shown a yellow card, on 25 December, by referee Tiny Wharton, who went on to open Queens new East Stand in 1995. Ball quoted: "I'd said something about Jesus Christ so I was booked for blasphemy on Christmas Day."
Ball's performance in the 1975–76 Scottish League Cup quarter-final first leg match versus Rangers at Ibrox Park limited the Govan club to a narrow 1–0 victory. A 2–1 win for Queens in the second leg at Palmerston Park had the tie going to extra-time after the 2–2 aggregate score. Jocky Dempster was one of the Queens scorers on the night but Rangers scored a winner in extra-time to progress in the competition. [2]
In the 1975–76 Scottish Cup, Ball saved a penalty with a broken ankle in the 2–2 draw at Somerset Park in the fourth round versus Ayr United and did not feature in the 5–4 replay win. [2] [5]
Season 1980–81, with Ball as the Queens goalkeeper, the club were promoted from the Second Division into the First Division. Also in the first eleven were fellow long servants Iain McChesney, Crawford Boyd and Jimmy Robertson, along with future Queens manager Rowan Alexander. [2]
Ball's long-time service as Queens goalkeeper was rewarded with two testimonials, the first versus Carlisle United in 1971 and the second in 1984 versus Manchester City. Danny McGrain, Davie Cooper, Gary Mackay and Rowan Alexander all guested for Queens in the testimonial match versus the Sky Blues. [2]
After leaving Palmerston, Ball played for Gretna [2] and briefly for Dalbeattie Star. [6]
Ball went on to be a successful motor dealer in Dumfries.
On 11 December 2001, Queens announced that Ball was now an Honorary Director at the club, a position that he held until his death. [2] [3]
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club formed in 1919 in Dumfries. The club plays in Scottish League One, the third tier of Scottish football. They are traditionally nicknamed the Doonhamers but are more usually referred to as Queens or QOS. Their home ground is Palmerston Park.
Lee David Robinson is an English former professional goalkeeper. Robinson played for Rangers, Greenock Morton, St Johnstone, Queen of the South, Kilmarnock, Östersund, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic.
Palmerston Park is a football stadium on Terregles Street in Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish League One club Queen of the South, who have played there since 1919. South of Scotland League club Heston Rovers have shared Palmerston since 2013. The stadium has a capacity of 8,690 of which 3,377 are seats.
Rowan Samuel Alexander is a Scottish former football player and manager.
Derek Lyle is a Scottish former footballer who played as a striker. Lyle played for Partick Thistle, Queen of the South (two spells), Dundee, Hamilton Academical (two spells), Greenock Morton, Cowdenbeath, Peterhead and Broomhill. Lyle also had loan spells with East Stirlingshire, Stirling Albion, Dunfermline Athletic and the Doonhamers. Lyle's longest time in his career was spent with Queen of the South in Dumfries, where he scored 117 goals in 365 appearances over two spells with the club.
David Mathieson is a retired Scottish professional association footballer, who was a goalkeeper. Mathieson played for Queen of the South and Gretna and made three appearances for Scotland under-21s.
William Gibson is a Scottish football player and coach who is currently the player-manager of Scottish League One club Annan Athletic.
David John Irons is a Scottish former football player and coach.
Andrew Thomson is a Scottish former professional footballer. Thomson played in 548 league matches, scoring 194 league goals in a career that saw him play for Queen of the South, Partick Thistle, Falkirk and Stenhousemuir in Scotland and Southend United, Oxford United, Gillingham and Queens Park Rangers in England.
Roy Donald Henderson was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper, best known for his time with Dumfries club Queen of the South.
James Patterson was a Scottish professional footballer. Patterson is the all-time record goalscorer for Dumfries club Queen of the South, with 252 goals.
Iain McChesney was a Scottish professional footballer with Scottish Football League club Queen of the South from Dumfries. McChesney is the longest serving player in the club's history, playing with them from 1960 to 1981. McChesney was a utility player.
Bobby Black was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right for East Fife and Queen of the South and was also capped by the Scottish League. Black later was an all England bowls champion.
John Oakes was a Scottish footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Queen of the South, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, his position was left winger. Oakes died at age 75.
John 'Jocky' Dempster is a former Scottish professional footballer who played as a right winger, mainly for Queen of the South and also St Mirren and Clyde.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club formed in March 1919 and located in Dumfries. Queen of the South are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS. Their home ground since formation has been Palmerston Park. They joined the Scottish Football League at the start of the 1923–24 season.
Daniel Carmichael is a Scottish professional footballer, who last played for Gretna 2008 as a midfielder.
Mike Jackson is a Scottish former professional association footballer and manager. Jackson played as an inside forward for Benburb, Celtic, St Johnstone, Third Lanark, Clyde, Queen of the South and Clydebank in Scotland and Drumcondra in Ireland. Jackson had two spells as the manager of the Doonhamers, (1975–78) and (1986–87), the club in Dumfries where he played for the longest time during his career.
Steven Black is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Dalbeattie Star.
Connor Murray is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Championship club Hamilton Academical. Murray has had two spells with Queen of the South and has also played for Partick Thistle as well as a loan spell with Gretna 2008.