| Archie McKenzie |
 Archibald McNeil McKenzie was born on Monday, 15th July, 1878, in Bo'ness, West Lothian. The 5' 7 defender signed for George Easton's Thistle on Saturday, 15th April, 1905. Aged 26, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 22nd April, 1905, in a 4-3 win away to Rangers in the Glasgow League. There were no goals for Archie during his time with Thistle. He played his last game for the club on Saturday, 3rd April, 1915, in a 5-1 defeat at home to Morton in the SFL First Division, having clocked up an impressive 280 appearances as a Jag. His club-list included Bo'ness and Partick Thistle. Archie died on Thursday, 20th April, 1950, in Bo'ness, West Lothian, aged 71. |
 It's unlikely that Archie McKenzie was feeling optimistic about his football career at the end of 1905-06 season. He had made his Thistle debut in a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in August 1905 being brought in from Bo'ness with a view to replacing Andrew Wilson at left-back. However, after a handful of game: Archie lost his place and played the rest of the season in the reserves, before being loaned back to Bo’ness for the start of the 1906-07 season. It wasn't an auspicious start to his senior career. However, when an emergency struck in February 1907 and Thistle found themselves without cover at left back on the day of a Scottish Cup replay against undee, Archie received a desperate telegram asking him to report to Dens Park. After a dramatic rush from Bo’ness to Dundee, Archie met his teammates for the first time that year and turned out for the Jags. However, his day became even more remarkable for after an injury to Willie Howden during the game, Archie was asked to deputise in goal. Despite a valiant effort, Dundee scored five goals and Thistle were out. Archie was back in at Firhill and he remained first choice left-back for most of the rest of the season. Indeed he was one of the first on the teamsheet for a further eight years, equally comfortable on the left or the right. Football in those days was less sophisticated than nowadays, and the full-back's job was a simple one. Tackling and kicking the ball a long way in a straight line were the main requirements, and Archie was good at both. He "kicked a good length and tackled fearlessly". but it wasn't just these qualities that endeared him to the fans at Firhill. The Daily Record remarked "McKenzie can shoulder the men freely off the ball. The Thistle Mac is the best back the club have had for several seasons", and it was this attribute that earned Archie the nickname 'Rattler'. The Rattler's consistency, at either full-back position over a period of years, meant that he had the chance to develop partnerships with a number of players, most notably with Neil Gibson and Harry Wilson, his half-back partners. When Willie Bulloch arrived they formed a full-back pairing that combined Archie 's energy and Willie's coolness, helping Thistle through the 1910-11 season without losing a game at borne, and to a Glasgow Cup Final. In front of 58,000 Rangers beat a weakened Thistle team 1-0; Rangers goal was scored while Archie was off the field receiving treatment for an injury. A receding hairline combined with an abbreviation of his name saw Archibald McKenzie with a new nickname – “Baldy”, and Baldy began to receive recognition for his strong and aggressive, sometimes rough-and-ready defensive play. He was chosen, along with teammate Branscombe, for a trial match to pick a Scottish League team to play England in 1910. Despite a good show, he wasn’t picked for the international. A couple of years later Baldy was selected to play for Glasgow against a Sheffield select but had to withdraw from the team due to an injury. It was for Thistle, though, that McKenzie was happiest playing, and the tribute he received from Thistle, in the shape of a benefit match (a 1-2 defeat to Rangers in 1910) meant more to him than narrowly missed representative recognition. The arrival of Tom Adams, and an increasing susceptibility to injury meant that come the end of the 1912-13 season the Thistle fans no longer saw Archie as a first choice full-back, but when selected he never gave anything less than full effort. When he returned from a lengthy period through injury at the start of the 1913-14 season the Daily Record said “it was delightful to see the ‘father’ of the Thistle team. ‘Rattler’ McKenzie as virile as ever and even safer than usual”. However, another injury halfway through the season again lost Archie his place to Adams. Archie played on, passing his experience to the youngsters in the Thistle reserve team, and helped them to a 2-0 win over Rangers in the Glasgow Reserve Cup Final in April 1914. Games in 1914-15 were even fewer, though on the occasion he was able to help out his old team mates he was greeted warmly by the crowd, who always remembered the sometimes tousy but always wholehearted defender, if a little less bulky in his earlier days. Archie made his last appearances for Thistle towards the end of the that 1914-15 season, having helped Thistle to a Glasgow Cup Final (a 0-1 defeat by Clyde), providing cover as Bulloch recovered from an injury. The evergreen old serveant played his final game for Partick Thistle at Ibrox in April 1915, helping the Jags to a famous 1-0 win over Rangers, before retiring gracefully from a club and a game that he had served with credit and distinction for ten years. |
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