| John Blackwood |
 John Blackwood was born on Friday, 31st August, 1877, in Glasgow. The 5' 8½ (11st 4lbs) forward temporarily transferred to Thistle on Saturday, 28th October, 1899, from his parent club, Celtic. Aged 22, he made his first known appearance on Saturday, 4th November, 1899, in a 2-0 win away to Airdrieonians in the SFL Second Division. John scored his first two known goals for Thistle on Saturday, 11th November, 1899, in a 4-0 win at home to Leith Athletic in the SFL Second Division. He scored the last of his 29 known goals on Saturday, 31st March, 1900, in a 4-2 win away to Hamilton Academical in the SFL Second Division. He played his last known game for the club on Saturday, 28th April, 1900, in a 2-0 friendly defeat away to Dundee, having appeared for the Thistle on at least 23 occasions. His club-list included Petershill, Celtic, Partick Thistle, Woolwich Arsenal, Reading, Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United and Royal Albert. John died on Sunday, 5th January, 1913, in Glasgow, aged 35. |
| John Blackwood's Summary Totals |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| League | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Competitive | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 18 |
| All Games | 23 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 29 |
 John Blackwood probably made the greatest ever 6-month impact of any short-stint players in all of Partick Thistle’s long and industrious history. The amazing young centre forward had arrived on loan from Celtic at the end of October 1899 and was immediately thrust into the no.9 role, with Willie Paul moving to his inside. He was a revelation – and a natural-born goal-scoring machine. In his short time at Thistle he really “put himself in the shop window” with an amazing 29 goals in his 6 months, and by seasons’ end he would be a Woolwich Arsenal player. John had started his career with Petershill, and only joined Celtic on 23 September 1899. He and Willie McOustra were signed by the club after playing in a friendly against The Kaffirs, a touring team from the Orange Free State. After a single appearance, he was loaned to Thistle the following month. It was John Blackwood who saved Thistle on a most important day - the 31st of March 1900 - cementing himself in eternal glory at an excellent moment in the club’s history. Thistle and Morton were gunning for the title, the latter putting the pressure on with 6 straight wins. With 1 game left to play, Jags were a single point ahead. The race was going to the wire. On the 31st March 1900, 1500 members of the dark blue army travelled on special trains to Hamilton, hoping to see Thistle win the title. Morton’s final game was scheduled for the following Saturday. No doubt, all from Greenock would be fully focused on events at Douglas Park. The Jags fans were stunned when the home team scored, with barely a few minutes on the clock. For the second week in a row we were throwing a wobbler – just at the wrong moment. Why do they do that to us? The previous week it was Willie Paul and Willie Freebairn who ensured a come-from-behind victory. Who could save us this time? Well, it was that man, John Blackwood. He grabbed an equaliser without too much fuss, settling everyone’s nerves. He then added two further goals in the last ten minutes of the first half to grab himself an ultra-rare “45 hat-trick”. Partick Thistle were now within touching distance of their second League title in four seasons. On the old (unspoken) in-club striker rivalry front, he may have been outgunned on the day, but the man, the legend, made sure that the name WILLIE PAUL was also typed and recorded forever on the score-sheet of yet another huge milestone game. Hamilton were the better team for a great period but Willie’s second half goal finally put the outcome of the game beyond doubt, giving Thistle a 3 goal cushion. It was reported as the best goal of the game and was delivered in his classic trademark fashion as he “dribbled down the left, past half backs and full backs before scoring with a good shot”. Final score; Hamilton 2, Partick Thistle 4. The title was ours – it mattered not a jot what Morton did next week for they were now 3 points behind. By virtue of having finished in the Top Two, Thistle were cordially invited to apply for election to the First Division. In the ballot were St Bernards (9th in D1), Clyde (10th in D1), Partick Thistle (1st in D2) and Morton (2nd in D2). Drama ensued in the voting which was counter-intuitive to the League placing, with Morton gathering the most votes and St Bernard’s the least. Clyde and Partick Thistle were tied for the all-important second place. The promotion / relegation destiny of these two clubs now fell to President McFarlane who had the casting vote in such circumstances. He deemed this to be too much pressure for one man to bear, and opted instead for the drawing of lots. Luck was with Partick Thistle, who duly became the only side in the SFL ever to have been promoted in such a way. This was a real blow for the newly formed Clyde Football and Athletic Club Ltd. who have the equally dubious distinction of being the only club in the SFL ever to be relegated in such an un-satisfactory manner. News of John's exploits travelled far, and he joined Arsenal in May 1900. He and his wife Maggie relocated, living in Plumstead at the family home of his Arsenal teammate, Walter Place. With the Gunners in Division Two at the time, Blackwood made a goalscoring debut on the opening day of the 1900/01 season in a 2-1 win over Gainsborough Trinity. John spent one season at the Club and played 18 times, scoring seven goals. This helped to secure a seventh-place finish for Arsenal, after wehcih he transferred to Reading in May 1901. In November 1902, John joined Queens Park Rangers. He made 15 Southern League First Division appearances during the 1902–03 season, scoring nine goals. He also played and scored in the first round of the Southern Professional Charity Cup, against Luton Town, and featured in seven Western League matches, scoring two, and three London League games, scoring once. The following season, he scored 18 goals in 24 Southern League appearances, with returns of three goals in six appearances in the Western League, and two goals in six appearances in the London League. He joined fellow Southern League First Division club West Ham United in December 1904. Taking over centre forward duties from Billy Bridgeman, he scored on his debut, against Portsmouth on 26 December, but his four-match run in the team coincided with one of the club's worst ever losing streaks. He played the last of his games for West Ham on 7 January 1905, against his old club QPR, after which Bridgeman was recalled to the team. After leaving the Irons, he returned to Scotland, joining Royal Albert on 2 September 1905. John was living at South York Street in the Hutchesontown area of Glasgow at the time of his untimely demise, aged just 35. He was laid to rest on 7th January 1913 at the Southern Necropolis, plot C, lair 2579. |
| (WS/JK/WIK) |
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Historian's note: John's date of death is commonly listed as 4th January 1913, but the Southern Necropolis Register Entry states that he died the following day, the 5th. We've applied per the latter, but shall seek to clarify via the Death Register entry at some stage.