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Allan Leitch |
Allan Nicholson Leitch was born on Sunday, 17th January, 1886, in Glasgow. The 5' 7 (11st 4lbs) forward signed for George Easton's Thistle on Thursday, 15th November, 1906, having most recently been with Clydebank Juniors. Aged 20, he made his debut appearance on Thursday, 15th November, 1906, in a 2-2 draw at home to Celtic in a Benefit match. That day, Allan became a member of our scoring debutant's club. He scored his second and final goal for the club on Saturday, 29th December, 1906, in a 3-1 defeat away to Clyde in the SFL First Division. He played his last game for Thistle on Saturday, 27th April, 1907, in a 5-1 defeat away to Heart of Midlothian in the SFL First Division, having appeared as a Jag on 12 occasions. His club-list included Clydebank Juniors and Partick Thistle. Allan died on Tuesday, 20th December, 1949, in the state of New York, aged 63.
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Allan Leitch's Summary Totals |
League | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Competitive | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
All Games | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
The son of Allan Leitch (bricklayer) and Jane Leitch. In 1901, his older siblings included William (22), Julia (20) and John (18). At that time, the 15-year-old Allan was listed as a land glazier's apprentice, whatever that is. In mid-November 1906, Thistle welcomed Celtic to Meadowside to play a Thursday evening match in support of the Partick Boilermakers strike fund. Four juniors played for Thistle on the night, including Allan Leitch, a centre forward from Clydebank Juniors, who could also play well in any of the inside forward roles. He had started the season well for Clydebank in terms of goalscoring and he found the net in his first outing for Thistle too, the match with Celtic ending in a 2-2 draw. Thistle signed him up immediately afterwards. The following day, the six week strike ended. The next home league game – against Hearts – saw an improved attendance of around 5,000. It was a much improved performance from the Thistle players too, who hadn’t won a league match for almost two months. Leitch started at centre forward and he played well and created the chance for Sam Kennedy who scored the only goal of the game. 1906-07 proved to be Allan's one and only season as a pro in the Scottish game. Allan emigrated in March 1908, landing in New York. Initially, he lived in Canada for a spell. He and his Glasgow-born wife, Beth, had their first two children there, before re-settling in New York as the family grew. There's every chance Allan might have played for some clubs in Canada and the States and we shall keep our eyes peeled in this regard. Allan died in 1949, shortly before Christmas and, although his name was carved as Allen on his memorial stone, he was clearly Allan on all of his life documents. |
(WS/JK/NK) |