| Alex Lauder |
 Alexander Lauder was born in 1899, in Scotland, although we've been unable to establish a place or date of birth as of yet. The forward signed for George Easton's Thistle on Wednesday, 14th August, 1918, having most recently been with Ashfield. Aged 18 or 19, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 17th August, 1918, in a 1-1 draw away to Airdrieonians in the Scottish Football League. Alex scored his first goal for Thistle on Saturday, 31st August, 1918, in a 1-0 win away to Ayr United in the Scottish Football League. He scored the last of his 11 goals on Tuesday, 15th March, 1921, in a 2-1 neutral-venue win against Motherwell in the Scottish Cup. He played his last game for the club on Saturday, 7th May, 1921, in a 2-0 defeat away to Celtic in the Glasgow Charity Cup, having appeared as a Jag on 73 occasions. His club-list included St Mirren Juniors, St Mirren, Ashfield, Partick Thistle, Port Vale, Stenhousemuir, St Bernard's and Armadale. We don't know where or when Alex died. *
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 In our class of '21, it wasn't only Jimmy McMenemy who could lay claim to a previous Scottish Cup winners medal - Alex Lauder had done so back in 1917, albeit his was of the Junior variety! Young Alex had started his career with St Mirren's junior side who, as strange as it may seem, were eligible to compete in the Junior Cup. His goals against Dundee Violet and Maryhill helped the wee Buddies on their way to the Cup that year, and our man was involved in the wining goal which defeated Renfrew in the final at… Firhill! From there, he stepped up to the senior St Mirren side, but never really got much of a chance before he was back in the juniors with Ashfield. George Easton saw potential though, and offered the 19-year-old terms. He arrived as an inside right in 1918, but adapted to inside left in order to accommodate others such as William Mitchell (1919-20) and Jimmy Kinloch (1920-21). Alex appeared (73) and scored (11) steadily over his three seasons as a Jag, but never was his contribution so vital as it was in the ultimate replay against Motherwell at Celtic Park. By March, 1921, the hectic schedule had taken its toll on the 40-year-old legs of Jimmy McMenemy, so Alex took over for a while, and would play in this Quarter Final decider as well as the three semi final matches with Hearts. His goal against Motherwell was his final counter as a Jag - little did he know how crucial it would be, and that we'd still be talking about it 100 years later! Rundell, in Motherwell's goal, palmed out Salisbury's corner, and it fell to Alex who made no mistake from close range with a good shot, giving Thistle an invaluable lead on the hour mark. Alex never made the final, and it seems a pity that he also missed the big photo opportunity when the cup was paraded at Firhill one week later. This seems all the more reason for his thoroughly deserved virtual medal today. In a bid to try and ensure more first team football, Alex moved on to Port Vale in September, 1921, and later served Stenhousemuir, St Bernards and Armadale. |
| (WS) |
