A question for David Potter, our esteemed Celtic Historian, came in this morning from a Celtic Star readers. “I am trying to find out against which team the great Jimmy McGrory scored the most league goals in his career. Can you help or pass on query to Celtic historian Mr Potter?” Jon asked.
As Barney used to say in ‘How I Met Your Mother’…challenge accepted, well from David Potter anyway.
Here’s the answer to Jon’s question and there’s a couple of new photographs below that might interest some of you…
Jimmy McGrory Celtic Manager at Villa Park 1946 / 47. Photo imago Color Sports
Gentleman,
Research into Jimmy McGrory’s goal scoring is not an exact science! There are reasons for this – in the first place he scored so many, but also sources differ – with even two newspapers giving different accounts of who scored a goal.
In particular, one newspaper can give an own goal, whereas another gives it to McGrory. It is understandable, because he would never be far away in any case! And you can imagine newspaper reporters after a goalmouth scramble, and no action replays, not having a clue who scored and under pressure of deadlines, just saying “oh, McGrory, I suppose!”
07.11.1928 Copyright: imago/Colorsport
Football – 1928 / 1929 season – English Football League XI 2 Scottish Football League XI 1 The SFL team group before the game at Villa Park 07/11/1928. Back (left to right): McNabb (Dundee), B. Battles (Hearts), Gray (Rangers), John Thomson (Celtic), Blair (Clyde), trainer, Bennie (Hearts). Front: Jimmy Archibald (Rangers), A. Thomson (Celtic), Jimmy McGrory (Celtic), McStay (Celtic), J. R. McAlpine (Queens Park), Alan Morton (Rangers). Goalkeeper Thomson later died as a result of an accidental collision with Rangers player Sam English during an Old Firm match at Ibrox.
However, restricting myself to League goals and giving no guarantee of accuracy (including my own errors), I have come up with…
Hamilton Accies 28
Queen’s Park 24
Dunfermline Athletic 22
Falkirk 21
Cowdenbeath 21
Kilmarnock 20
St Mirren 20
Hibs 20
and Rangers only 10!
The Dunfermline Athletic total is of course distorted by the eight that he scored against them on 14 January 1928, and his total against Hamilton Accies included six hat-tricks. Remember that these were just League goals, and not necessarily totally accurate! But if you need further information or any details about any game or season in particular, let me know and I will see what I can do.
But what a player! And what a goal scorer!
His best and most famous games were of course scored in Cup-ties, but what about the game v Motherwell in 1936 when he scored a hat-trick in three minutes earning him the title “goal a minute James McGrory”.
At my father’s funeral I chose the hymn “Tell me the old, old story” which everyone thought was a Victorian revivalist hymn – and so it was, but I secretly sang the second line as “A hat trick for McGrory!”, which my father sang. My father and I once saw him on a train going to Aberdeen, and he nodded and spoke affably for a few minutes. It was probably my dad’s greatest moment!
Somehow, I doubt that Albian Ajeti is not going to do quite so well as Jimmy! Henrik Larsson probably could have, though!
David Potter
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