Harry Graham (footballer)

Harry Graham
Personal information
Full name Harry Graham
Date of birth (1887-12-16)16 December 1887
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Place of death Scotland
Playing position Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Granton Oakvale
1908–1910 St Bernard's
1910–1911 Bradford City 11 (0)
1911–1912 Birmingham 12 (4)
1912–1913 Raith Rovers
1913–1920 Heart of Midlothian 135 (44)
1920–1924 Leicester City 110 (14)
1924–1925 St Bernard's
1925–1926 Reading 12 (0)
National team
1914 Scottish League XI 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Harry Graham (16 December 1887 – after 1925) was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish Football League for Raith Rovers and Heart of Midlothian,[1] and in the Football League for Bradford City, Birmingham, Leicester City and Reading.[2] He played as an inside forward.

Career

Graham was born in Edinburgh. He played for St Bernard's before moving to England to sign for Bradford City in April 1910. He played 11 First Division games without scoring, and in October 1911 joined Second Division club Birmingham. Graham played 12 times for Birmingham, scoring four goals, but he was principally a playmaker, and the club's need was for a goalscorer. In September 1912 he returned to Scotland and signed for Raith Rovers,[3] for whom he appeared in the 1913 Scottish Cup Final.[4]

Graham moved on at the end of the season to Heart of Midlothian, who were looking for a replacement for the recently retired Bobby Walker.[5] Before and during the First World War, Graham scored 41 goals from 120 appearances in the Scottish League,[1] and the League rewarded him with selection for a representative match against the Southern League in October 1914.[6] During the 1916–17 season, Graham, a qualified dentist,[3] enlisted in the Army, and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and as a private with the Gloucestershire Regiment. On his return to Hearts, he struggled to get into the first team,[7] and in December 1920 he returned to England and joined Leicester City.[3]

Despite his age – it was around the time of his 33rd birthday when he joined the club – Graham played more than 100 games for Leicester in the Second Division,[2] which he followed with six months with former club St Bernard's and another return to England, where he contributed to Reading's championship of the Third Division South in the 1925–26 season.[3][8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Harry Graham". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  2. 1 2 Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  4. "1913". Scottish Cup Final Archive. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  5. Speed, David; Knight, Alex. "1904–1914". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  6. "Mon 12 Oct 1914 Southern League 1 SFL 1". Scotland The Complete Record 1872 to 2005. London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  7. Speed, David; Knight, Alex. "1914–1924". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  8. "Reading". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
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