Angus McKinnon (8 December 1886 – May 1968) was a Scottish
footballer.
McKinnon was born in
Paisley and started his career at junior side
Petershill before moving south of the border to join
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Park ...
, then of the
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
. He then moved even further south, joining
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
side
Woolwich Arsenal in May 1908. Initially a reserve player, McKinnon made his debut on 12 December 1908 in a 4–1 defeat at the hands of
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
...
, and only made one more appearance in the
1908–09 season. He mainly played at left half, as an understudy to fellow Scot
Roddy McEachrane
Roderick John McEachrane (3 February 1877 – 16 November 1952) was a Scottish footballer, born in Inverness.
McEachrane moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team, Tham ...
, and it wasn't until 1911 did McKinnon supplant his countryman and become a regular in the Woolwich Arsenal side.
McKinnon was a regular from then on, until official competition was suspended, a period with injury between March and November 1914 excepted. Unfortunately for him, his career with Woolwich Arsenal coincided with their relegation from the
First Division in 1913; nevertheless he continued to serve Arsenal (as they had been renamed following their move to
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
in 1913) as they pushed for promotion.
On the issue of the name the volume "Woolwich Arsenal the club that changed football" traces the changes of the club's name and reports that for the 1914/15 season the club defined itself in the programmes and elsewhere as "The Arsenal" (not Arsenal) for the first time on 10 April 1914 but that name was not registered and that formally with the Board of Trade or the Joint Stock Companies, as would have been required to make the change official.
During the war he served as a driver in the
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of ...
, and returned to play for Arsenal, who had been elected back to the First Division, once competitive football resumed in 1919. Although by this time 32, he continued to play for Arsenal for another two seasons, and started the
1921–22 season as first-choice left half, before being replaced by the young
Tom Whittaker.
McKinnon was given a
free transfer in the summer of 1922, having played 217 matches for Arsenal, scoring 4 goals. He signed for
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
, where he played one season, and then moved to
Wigan Borough
Wigan Borough Football Club was an English football club from the town of Wigan, Lancashire. It was a fifth attempt at establishing football in Wigan, their forerunners were Wigan A.F.C., Wigan County, Wigan United and Wigan Town, County and ...
but did not play a single league match for the club and retired in 1923. After retiring, he joined
New Brighton New Brighton is the name of several places, sports teams etc.:
Australia
* New Brighton, New South Wales, a town near Ocean Shores
Canada
* New Brighton, Calgary, Alberta, a neighborhood
* New Brighton (Gambier Island), a settlement in British ...
; he spent 27 years at the club, between 1935 and 1962, as either trainer or coach. He died in 1968, at the age of 81.
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckinnon, Angus
1886 births
1968 deaths
Petershill F.C. players
Scottish footballers
Carlisle United F.C. players
Arsenal F.C. players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
New Brighton A.F.C. players
Footballers from Paisley, Renfrewshire
British Army personnel of World War I
English Football League players
Wigan Borough F.C. managers
Association football wing halves
Scottish football managers