Andrew Paisley Ormiston (1 March 1884 – 1952), also known as Alec Ormiston, 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 lea ...

who made 139 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

playing for Lincoln City and Chelsea. He played as a

centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

left half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

Life and career

Ormiston was born in

Peebles Peebles () is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in ...

, Scotland. He played

non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

in England for Hebburn Argyle, before joining

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

club Lincoln City in 1907. The club finished bottom of the division in 1908, and failed to gain

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

to the League. Ormiston helped Lincoln win their second

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

title in 1908–09, and then followed former Lincoln manager David Calderhead to First Division club Chelsea. He played just over 100 matches in senior competition over five years, and made a solid contribution to Chelsea's return to the First Division in 1912, but his career with the club effectively ended in April 1914 when he suffered a serious ankle injury in a match at

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

. He guested for former club Lincoln during the war, and signed for them when competitive football resumed in 1919. On the opening day of the 1919–20 season, as Lincoln earned an unexpected draw against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

, who were playing their first match after joining the Football League from the Southern League, Ormiston's experience made him stand out: He played his last game for Lincoln in December 1919, and returned to Scotland, where he appeared for

Peebles Rovers Peebles Rovers Football Club is a Scottish association football, football club based in Peebles, Scottish Borders. Originally founded in 1888 as Greenside Rovers, the club changed their name to Peebles Rovers in May 1890. This is at odds with ...

. Ormiston died 30 June 1952 in Peebles, Peeblesshire, Scotland.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ormiston, Alec 1884 births 1952 deaths Sportspeople from Peebles Footballers from the Scottish Borders Scottish men's footballers Men's association football defenders Hebburn Argyle F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Peebles Rovers F.C. players English Football League players Midland Football League players