John McDonald Galbraith (4 April 1898 – ?) was a Scottish professional
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 ...
. He was born in
Renton, West Dunbartonshire
Renton (; ) is a village in West Dunbartonshire, in the west Central Lowlands of Scotland. In the 2001 National Census it had a population of 2,138.
Renton is particularly famous for the village's association football side. Renton was one of ...
.
Galbraith began his career playing junior football at
Vale of Leven
The Vale of Leven () is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ''fie ...
and
Shawfield
Shawfield is an industrial/commercial area of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located to the north of the town centre. It is bordered to the east by the River Clyde, to the north by the Glasgow neighbourhood of Oat ...
before signing for
Clapton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
in 1921. He went on to spend a decade at the club, making 277 league appearances, before joining
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
in February 1931. He was signed as a replacement for the club's
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
-winning captain
Fred Keenor
Frederick Charles Keenor (31 July 1894 – 19 October 1972) was a Welsh professional footballer. He began his career at his hometown side Cardiff City after impressing the club's coaching staff in a trial match in 1912 organised by his former ...
, but was unable to stop the club's slide as they fell into the Third Division South. He left the club in 1935 to manage
Milford United, before later returning to Clapton Orient as a coach.
Between 1936 and 1938, and for a short spell in 1939, Galbraith managed French side
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens (), commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply as Lens, is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, ''Les Sang et Or'' (), comes from i ...
.
Honours
RC Lens
*
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...
:
1936–37
References
1898 births
Scottish football managers
Scottish men's footballers
Scottish expatriate football managers
Men's association football fullbacks
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
English Football League players
RC Lens managers
Year of death missing
Vale of Leven F.C. players
Shawfield F.C. players
Milford United F.C. managers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate football managers in France
Footballers from Renton, West Dunbartonshire
Scottish Junior Football Association players
20th-century Scottish sportsmen
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