George Sinclair (footballer)

George Leckie Sinclair (12 December 1884 – 18 December 1959) was a Scottish footballer who played for Leith Athletic, Heart of Midlothian, Dunfermline Athletic, Cowdenbeath and Scotland.[3][4]

George Sinclair
Personal information
Full name George Leckie Sinclair
Date of birth 12 December 1884[1]
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 18 December 1959(1959-12-18) (aged 75)[2]
Place of death Edinburgh, Scotland
Playing position(s) Outside right
Youth career
Edinburgh King's Park
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1906–1908 Leith Athletic 35 (7)
1908–1921 Heart of Midlothian  326 (46)
1921–1922 Dunfermline Athletic  30 (5)
1922–1924 Cowdenbeath  37 (7)
Total 428 (63)
National team
1910–1912 Scotland 3 (0)
1912–1919 Scottish League XI 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Club

A traditional outside right (winger), Sinclair had been a soldier in his teenage years before joining Leith in 1906; he signed for Hearts at the end of the 1907–08 season.[5] He made 192 appearances for the Tynecastle Park club in the Scottish Football League and Scottish Cup prior to the outbreak of World War I.[5] As a reservist, Sinclair had pledged to join up and was one of the first to leave Hearts to go off to the war in August 1914 (later the whole squad enlisted – the first British club to do so; most of the players were with "C" Company of the Royal Scots – Sir George McCrae's Battalion).

Sinclair served with the Royal Field Artillery, saw action at the Battle of Mons and was injured in 1915, but survived the war and returned to play for Hearts again, along with Paddy Crossan and Bob Mercer. In 1919 the club reached the final of the Victory Cup. He made 162 further appearances for the club in the two major competitions.[5]

Sinclair continued to play football into the 1920s, including a spell in the United States.

International

He won three Scotland caps[6] prior to WWI and also played for the Scottish Football League XI twice, either side of the conflict.[7]

Later life

He went on to run Sinclair's Bar in Montrose Terrace at Abbeyhill until he died in 1959.

References
  1. Statutory registers - Births - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
  2. Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
  3. Paul, Smith (1 January 2013). Scotland's who's who : the who's who of Scotland international footballers, 1872-2013. Pitch. p. 259. ISBN 9781909178847. OCLC 877683009.
  4. John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "[Hearts player] George Sinclair". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. "[Scotland player] George Sinclair". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  7. "[SFL player] George Sinclair". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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