Alexander Millar (21 October 1911 – 28 January 1977) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre half.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Millar | ||
| Birth name | Alexander Urbonis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1911[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Mossend, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 28 January 1977 (aged 65)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Mossend Celtic | ||
| 1933–1934 | Parkhead | ||
| 1934–1935 | Shawfield | ||
| 1935–1938 | Celtic | 10 | (0) |
| 1938–1946 | Preston North End | ||
| 1946–1947 | Dundee United | 25 | (0) |
| 1947–1949 | Morton | ||
| 1949–1950 | Stranraer | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editBorn with the surname Urbonis,[1] Millar was a member of North Lanarkshire's Lithuanian immigrant community.[3][4] After playing with several local Junior teams until the age of 23, he began his senior career with Celtic in 1935,[5] where he was a reserve behind Willie Lyon in the queue for selection; he made five appearances as the club won the 1937–38 Scottish Division One title, but it is doubtful that he would have been presented with a medal. With the situation unchanged going into the following campaign he moved on, joining Preston North End in October 1938.[4] He had little time to become established in English football prior to the outbreak of World War II ten months later, and during the conflict he appeared as a guest player for Scottish clubs including Celtic and Motherwell, featuring for the latter in the 1945 Southern League Cup Final which ended in defeat by Rangers.[6][7]
In 1946 Millar signed for Scottish Division B side Dundee United,[8] transferring back up to the top tier with Morton in late 1947 and playing for them in the 1948 Scottish Cup Final – again losing out to Rangers, this time after extra time in a replay; his performance in both matches against his internationalist opponents Billy Williamson and Willie Thornton, at the age of 36, was singled out for particular praise in press reports.[9][10] After Morton were relegated in the 1948–49 season, he moved on to Stranraer for a short spell prior to retiring.[11]
Millar also served as chairman of the Scottish Football Players Union in the post-war period.[4][12] He was the first of several Scots of Lithuanian descent to play for Celtic between the 1930s and 1960s, all of them defenders, the most famous being Billy McNeill.[4][13]
References
edit- ^ a b c Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
- ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Lithuanians in Lanarkshire". Legacies: UK history local to you. BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d And they gave us James McGrory and Danny Dawson, Matt Corr, The Celtic Star, 18 March 2020
- ^ (Celtic player) Millar, Alex, FitbaStats
- ^ Keen Cup Final | Motherwell Unlucky, The Glasgow Herald, 14 May 1945
- ^ Motherwell Beaten 2-1, The Scotsman, 14 May 1945, via London Hearts Supporters Club
- ^ Alec Miller Player Profile, Arab Archive
- ^ Thrills in Hampden Wind, The Glasgow Herald, 19 April 1948
- ^ Memorable Exhibition by Morton Centre Half, The Glasgow Herald, 22 April 1948
- ^ Neil Brown. "Greenock Morton: 1946/47 - 2013/14". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ PFA Scotland/Scottish Football Players Union, ScottishLeague.net, 11 May 2008
- ^ Every footballer has a story, especially if he played for Celtic, Michael Beattie, Celtic Quick News, 11 March 2017