Samuel Aitken (19 May 1878 – 7 March 1930) 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 le ...

who played in the

English 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, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

for

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

and

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

before the First World War. Aitken was born in

, the son of John Aitken, a

carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

, and Jessie Mitchell Aitken. Aitken served as captain for the Ayr team through 1903, and was described by the ''

Dundee Evening Telegraph The ''Evening Telegraph'' is a local newspaper in Dundee, Scotland. Known locally as the ''Tele'' (usually pronounced ''Tully or Tilly''), it is the sister paper of '' The Courier'', also published by Dundee firm D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. It w ...

'' in 1902, "Sam Aitken at centre half-back is of the Anderson,

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

, type, here, there, and everywhere following up the ball, never seeming to be content unless in close touch with operations." Aitken transferred to Middlesbrough in mid-1903, but eventually returned to Ayr in 1912. By then into his early 30s, he was still in top form, as was noted by an English newspaper: "Sam Aitken, late of Middlesbrough and Raith Rovers, is playing a great game at centre-half for Ayr United in his native town. He is still fit for First League football, and Raith Rovers have not an abler defender than their old captain." However, he was released from Ayr in 1913. In September 1913, the ''Dundee Courier'' bemoaned, "Whatever were Ayr United thinking about when they let Sam Aitken go? His shoes have not been filled." Aitken then fought in the First World War, serving with the King's Own Scottish Borderers. His eyesight declined and he was nearly completely blind by May 1924, when the Scottish Football Association council voted to give him £10 in aid (). His blindness may have been caused by a war injury, as in early 1925, he was admitted to St Dunstan's nursing home, then at

Winfield House Winfield House is an English townhouse in Regent's Park, central London and the official residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The grounds are , the second-largest private garden in London after that of Buckingham P ...

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

. He died five years later. At the first Ayr F.C. match after his death, the players wore black arm bands and the flag at Somerset Park flew at half-mast in his honour.

References

1878 births 1930 deaths Footballers from Ayr Scottish footballers Middlesbrough F.C. players English Football League players Ayr F.C. players Raith Rovers F.C. players Ayr United F.C. players British Army personnel of World War I Association football defenders King's Own Scottish Borderers soldiers {{Scotland-footy-defender-1870s-stub