Charlie McGrain
Charlie McGrain
Charlie McGrain
● Charlie McGrain, 1923 (JK)

born in Scotland

Charles Stewart McGrain was born on Thursday, 16th July, 1896, in Edinburgh.

The 5' 7½ (11st 4lbs) forward signed for George Easton's Thistle on Wednesday, 6th October, 1920, having most recently been with Shawfield.

Aged 24, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 9th October, 1920, in a 2-2 draw at home to Clydebank FC in the Scottish Football League.

There were no goals for Charlie during his spell with Thistle.

He played his second and last game for the club on Tuesday, 4th January, 1921, in a 2-0 win away to St Mirren in the Scottish Football League.

His club-list included Shawfield, Partick Thistle, Stevenston United, Kilmarnock and Johnstone.

Charlie died in February, 1980, in Brookhaven, New York, aged 83. *

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Bio Extra

The son of Andrew McGrain (railway station master) and Margaret McGrain (née Wood).

Having impressed in the juniors with Shawfield, this left-winger arrived at Firhill keen to make his mark in the senior game, but had to be largely content with a season in the reserves, Willie Salisbury being impossible to dislodge in the #11 position. Charlie left for Stevenston United in 1921-22, and guested for Kilmarnock in February of that season. He earned a move to Second Division Johnstone in the summer of 1922 where he featured in 12 League games, but that turned out to be his last season in the game. Charlie set sail from Glasgow to New York in April 1923, where he settled for life, marrying Rose, six years his senior. According to the census records, this seems to have been his home state. 83-year-old Charlie was living in Middle Island, a hamlet within the town of Brookhaven, where he died in February, 1980.

(WS/JK)



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