Alan Lauder Morton (24 April 1893 – 12 December 1971) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

outside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

for Queen's Park, Rangers and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Playing career

Club

Morton was born in the

Jordanhill Jordanhill ( sco, Jordanhull, gd, Cnoc Iòrdain)
is an ...

district of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. He grew up in Airdrie, where his family relocated due to his father's work. After leaving Airdrie Academy he had an unsuccessful trial with Airdrieonians. Consequently, he entered studies to become a

mining engineer Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

while playing with Queen's Park, the famous amateur club. Once fully qualified in 1920 he turned professional, becoming

Bill Struth William Struth (16 June 1875 – 21 September 1956) was a Scottish football manager. He was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as being the holder of a number of other posi ...

's first signing as manager of Rangers, but only on the proviso that he could maintain his position as a mining engineer. Morton only measured 5 ft 4 inches in height but his talent lay in his physical balance, speed and thought. Rangers enjoyed a sustained period of success, winning the Scottish league championship in 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931. Highlights included the 1928 Scottish Cup Final win against Celtic, which ended a 25‑year wait to win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d, played 470 times for the ''Gers'' and scored 109 goals.

International

Morton made his international debut for

on 26 February 1920 against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He would go on to play in every international against the ''Auld Enemy'',

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, from 1920 to 1932 bar the fixture at Old Trafford in 1926, eventually winning 31 caps. It was in the 1928 full international in London where Morton, as part of an under-rated Scottish side that beat England 5–1 in driving rain to record a famous triumph, earned the moniker: "

Wembley Wizards The Wembley Wizards is the nickname for the Scotland national football team that crushed England national football team, England 5–1 at Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley in the 1928 British Home Championship. Background Scotland had failed to w ...

". Three of Morton's crosses were converted by

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

's Alex Jackson. Ivan Sharpe, the ex‑player and writer, commented on the victory: ''"England were not merely beaten. They were bewildered – run to a standstill, made to appear utterly inferior by a team whose play was as cultured and beautiful as I ever expect to see."'' In addition he made 15 appearances (scoring 1 goal) for the Scottish League XI (making his debut on 22 February 1919 against the Football League at St. Andrew's,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

after playing in three wartime fundraising matches) and four Scotland wartime appearances (a charity match and three Victory Internationals).

Retirement

After retiring Morton became an important administrator within Scottish sport. He was appointed to the Rangers board of directors and he remained there until the year of his death. Further afield, he demonstrated an inclination toward Unionist politics in reaction to the rise in post-War

Scottish nationalism Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity. Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into t ...

. He also owned a coal business in central Scotland. Today a portrait of Morton in his Scottish strip stands at the top of the marble staircase at Ibrox's Main Stand, such is his enduring stature at the club.

Personal life

His elder brother Bob Morton also played for Queen's Park, where the siblings were teammates for six seasons.

Honours

Scottish League: (9) * 1920–21, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30,

1930–31 Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condit ...

Scottish Cup: (3) * 1927–28, 1929–30, 1931–32played in drawn Final in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

but not in Replay Glasgow Cup: (5) *1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1929–30, 1931–32

References

* *

External links

Rangers ''Hall of Fame'' profile
*
Scottish Football Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Alan 1893 births 1971 deaths Footballers from Glasgow Association football wingers Rangers F.C. players Queen's Park F.C. players Scottish footballers Scotland international footballers Scotland wartime international footballers Rangers F.C. non-playing staff Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees Scottish Football League players People educated at Airdrie Academy Scottish Football League representative players Place of death missing People from Jordanhill Footballers from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire