| Eddie McLeod |
 Edward McCormick McLeod was born on Sunday, 28th July, 1907, in Springburn, Glasgow. The 5' 7 (11st 0lbs) midfielder signed for George Easton's Thistle on Tuesday, 1st June, 1926, having most recently been with Ashfield. Aged 19, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 14th August, 1926, in a 1-1 draw away to Falkirk in the SFL First Division. Eddie scored his first goal for Thistle on Saturday, 23rd October, 1926, in a 5-1 win at home to Dunfermline Athletic in the SFL First Division. He scored the last of his 7 goals on Saturday, 26th October, 1935, in a 2-1 win at home to Hibernian in the SFL First Division. He played his last game for the club on Saturday, 25th May, 1940, in a 3-1 defeat at home to Rangers in the Regional League, Western Division, having clocked up a mighty 498 appearances as a Jag. His club-list included Ashfield and Partick Thistle. Eddie died in September, 1969, in Troy, New York, aged 62. *
|
 In the first few decades of the twentieth century Partick Thistle began a policy at odds with many of the clubs at the top of the Scottish game. Rather than taking advantage of other clubs’ ability to groom young players by making an offer that couldn't he refused, manager George Easton, and later Donald Turner, preferred to find the talent for themselves at junior level. While the net was cast wide - Ayrshire and Lanarkshire were exploited - it was Thistle's relationships with the local clubs that reaped the best rewards. Ashfield, especially, have provided players that have represented Thistle with distinction, such as John Ballantyne, George Boardman, Alex Lauder, Alex McGregor, and in more recent years Craig Nelson but one ex-Ashfield player stands out for his contribution to Partick Thistle… Eddie McLeod. From his signing as a raw 19 year-old in 1926, with a huge act to follow, to his enforced war-induced retirement in 1940, Eddie was to play almost 500 games for Thistle, Only five players have appeared more times for the club. In that time he was to partner with Alex Elliot and Alex Lambie, thus forming a formidable half-back line. Eddie's hard act to follow was to replace the incomparable Jamie McMullan, who had left Firhill for Manchester City a few months earlier. A number of experienced players had been tried in McMullan's left-half position, including Irish internationalist Harry Chatton, but it was to an inexperienced junior that Thistle turned at the start of the 1926-27 season. It was a gamble for manager Easton, but boy did it pay off! Eddie was thrust into the team for the first game of the season and missed just one game from then to the end of that campaign. He was soon favourably compared to McMullan. Eddie's intelligent style of play — he was known for his ground passes to the outside-left — was vital in taking Thistle on two cup runs. One was a success — a Charity Cup win over Rangers, while the other ended in semi-final disappointment against East File. It was an auspicious first season for the boy from Springburn. The following season saw Eddie join up with the two Alex’s to form their half-back line for the first time and this partnership helped Thistle finish to the top six for the following five years. Lambie was a demolisher at centre-half but Eddie and Elliot were much more. “Elliott and McLeod darted into the tackle without ever backing away, they brought the ball on, and their passes were wonderfully accurate” said the Daily Record. For someone who was known for his accurate passing and vision, Eddie was incredibly one-footed. Indeed after his retirement he admitted that his right one was only needed for standing on! In 1930 Eddie represented The Scottish League n a 5-0 win over the Irish League at Firhill and he again faced the Irish the following year, this time in a 2-3 defeat in Belfast. Eddie came close to to full international honours, being selected as a reserve for games against England, Wales, and Ireland, but never played a full match. He did play for Glasgow v Sheffield in 1932 along with his outside-left partner John Torbet. Eddie and Alex Elliot continued to turn out for Thistle and were asked to partner up with new centre-halves after Lambie left for Chester. Bob Donnelly and George Sutherland were notable colleagues for the two long-serving players. In 1932 the final of the Glasgow Cup was reached, and lost, but two years later Eddie won his first football medal when Thistle, this time, won the Glasgow Cup Final with a 1-0 win over Rangers at Hampden. For the first time in his career, Eddie struggled to hold down his place in the team at the start of the 1937-38 season. Relegated to the reserves, and believing he could still play at a higher level, Eddie asked for a transfer. and Thistle agreed. However, before any offers were made for him, injuries struck the team, and Eddie was back in, in his usual left-half position. There were doubts again, at the start of the 1938-39 season, over whether he was fit enough to play. Suspected appendicitis while playing for Thistle in Huddersfield had sown concerns. However, Eddie was in great form, playing some of his best football. “What a great comeback is Eddie’s. Thistle should be grateful that he didn’t make use of the free transfer they gave him a wee while back,” said the Daily Record. The war curtailed Eddie's opportunities to play football regularly and, at the end of the 1939-40 season, he decided to join up, and retire from football. “Imagine, I'm too old to play football but not too old to fight” he said ruefully on his departure from Firhill. On account of his service during WWII, Eddie is included in our feature piece, The Partick Thistle returned →. |
| (NK/TH) |
magnifiable if deemed necessary by your browser
