Donald Ford
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald Campbell Clark Ford | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Linlithgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1964 | Vale of Avon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1964 | Bo'ness United | ||
| 1964–1976 | Hearts | 254 | (93) |
| 1976–1977 | Falkirk | 21 | (5) |
| National team | |||
| 1971–1974 | Scottish League XI | 3 | (0) |
| 1973–1974 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Donald Campbell Clark Ford (born 25 October 1944 in Linlithgow, West Lothian) is a Scottish former international footballer, best remembered for his 11-year playing stint with Heart of Midlothian.
Tommy Walker signed Ford for Hearts from junior side Bo'ness United in 1964, Ford having previously played with Vale of Avon. Ford quickly made the adjustment to top flight football, playing 7 times in his first full season in Gorgie, as Hearts lost the 1964–65 League title to Kilmarnock on goal average.
At this stage, Ford was still playing as an amateur, combining football with studies in chartered accountancy. This understandably affected his footballing development and Ford's appearances over the following seasons were sporadic. However, upon completion of his final accountancy exams in 1967, Ford signed professional terms and became an integral part of the Hearts first team. He played over 30 times in each of the following 8 seasons before eventually transferring to Falkirk in 1976 at the age of 32. A serious knee injury forced him into retirement the following year.
Ford was capped 3 times for the Scotland national team, making his debut against Czechoslovakia in 1973. He had previously played 9 times for the Scotland national amateur team. He was selected in the squad for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany but did not make an appearance.
Ford's international recognition was especially notable as his career coincided with a gradual decline in Hearts' playing fortunes. Despite Ford striking up a successful front pairing with Drew Busby, the side struggled to match the standards set in the 1950s and early 60s. His only honours were runners-up medals: for the League in 1964–65, for the 1967–68 Scottish Cup and the 1970–71 Texaco Cup. Indeed, Ford was one of only two Hearts players capped in the 1970s, the other being goalkeeper Jim Cruickshank.
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