Johnny McIlwaine
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John McIlwaine | ||
| Date of birth | 12 June 1904 | ||
| Place of birth | Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 1980 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Grimsby, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre half / Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Springside Juvenile | |||
| Irvine Victoria | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ????–1928 | Falkirk | 62 | (8) |
| 1928–1930 | Portsmouth | 56 | (5) |
| 1930–1932 | Southampton | 46 | (9) |
| 1932–1933 | Llanelly | ||
| 1933–1937 | Southampton | 81 | (9) |
| National team | |||
| 1927 | Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1936–1937 | Southampton (assistant manager) | ||
| 1937–1948 | Grimsby Town (assistant manager) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
John "Johnny" McIlwaine (12 June 1904 – 24 April 1980) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre half for Portsmouth, where he captained the team in the 1929 FA Cup Final, before moving to south coast rivals Southampton. He also played for Falkirk and Llanelly, whom he helped win the Welsh Football League championship in 1932–33.
McIlwaine was born at Irvine, North Ayrshire and after a spell with Irvine Victoria he joined Falkirk. At Falkirk, he became one of the outstanding centre-halves in Scottish football and was selected to represent the Scottish League against the Irish League in October 1927 (the Scottish League XI won 2–1). He soon became a target for several top English clubs, and in February 1928 it "caused a sensation in the football world" when he chose to join Portsmouth who were struggling to avoid relegation in their first season in the First Division.
McIlwaine joined Portsmouth for a record transfer fee of £5000 (including a friendly match at Fratton Park), replacing Harry Foxall who retired shortly afterwards. He made his debut at home to Sunderland on 18 February 1928 in a 5–3 defeat (four of Sunderland's goals came from Dave Halliday), but retained his place for the remaining games that season as Pompey avoided relegation by one point.
...
Wikipedia