David Reid (footballer, born 1897)

David 'Davy' Reid (c.1897 – March 1963) was a Scottish football player who played for Everton, captained Ballymena to Irish Cup success in 1929 and also managed both sides of the Irish border with Drumcondra and Glentoran.

David Reid

Reid pictured with the Irish Cup in May 1929
Personal information
Full name	David Reid
Date of birth	c. 1897
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death	February 1963 (aged 65–66)
Playing position(s)	Half back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
?–1920	Distillery
1920–1928	Everton	101	(10)
1928	Distillery
1928—1931	Ballymena	128	(12)
1931–?	Drumcondra
Total		229	(22)
National team
1919–1929	Irish League XI	4	(1)
Teams managed
1931–?	Drumcondra
1934	Glentoran
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born into a family of footballing stock, the Reid family originally came from the Riccarton area, near Kilmarnock in Scotland, but moved to Belfast in 1900. David along with siblings Jimmy, John, Max were born in Scotland while Willie and Bob were born in Ulster.[1]

Reid began his football career alongside his brothers at Distillery in the late 1910s, winning two caps for the Irish League representative side in 1919 and two consecutive County Antrim Shield winners' medals.

Everton

In late May 1920, Everton announced the signing of 23-year-old Reid for a fee of £1,500, having impressed during a representative game between the Irish and English leagues, in which Reid scored.[2]

Reid made his debut against Bradford Park Avenue in August 1920,[3] going on to make 101 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 10 goals during eight seasons at Goodison Park. In February 1928, Reid returned to Northern Ireland to finish the 1927–28 season with Distillery.[4] Everton went onto win the English First Division that season.

Ballymena

Despite having been highly expected to complete a permanent move back to Distillery in the summer of 1928, Reid was convinced to join the new Ballymena team who had been recently formed to compete in the Irish League for the 1928–29 season. He signed for the Light Blues as club captain in June 1928 alongside his older brother John, who had also returned home from fellow Merseyside club, New Brighton. The Braidmen experienced immediate success with a shock win in the 1929 Irish Cup final against Belfast Celtic.

The Ballymena side, led by Reid, proved their debut season success was no fluke with back-to-back Irish Cup final appearances in 1930 and 1931. His performances for the new side led to a return to the Irish League representative side during the 1929–30 season. During three season Reid made 128 appearances and scored 12 goals at the Ballymena Showgrounds.[5]

Post Ballymena career

In August 1931, Reid took up the position of player-manager at struggling Drumcondra in the League of Ireland. He returned North back to the Irish League for the 1934–35 season, having retired from playing to become manager of Glentoran but only lasted until September 1934 before resigning his post at The Oval.

Club honours

Distillery

• County Antrim Shield winner (2): 1918–19, 1919–20

Ballymena

• Irish Cup winner (1): 1928–29
• Irish Cup runner-up (2): 1929–30, 1930–31
• City Cup runner-up (1): 1928–29

Statistics

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Distillery	1918–19	Irish League
	1919–20
	Total
Everton	1920–21	First Division	21	5	0	0	0	0	21	5
	1921–22		16	3	0	0	0	0	16	3
	1922–23		13	0	1	0	0	0	14	0
	1923–24		6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	1924–25		23	2	3	0	0	0	26	2
	1925–26		11	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	1926–27		7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
	1927–28		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		97	10	4	0	0	0	101	10
Distillery	1927–28	Irish League
	Total
Ballymena	1928–29	Irish League	23	3	5	0	14	3	42	6
	1929–30		22	3	4	1	13	1	39	5
	1930–31		26	0	5	0	16	1	47	1
	Total		71	6	14	1	43	5	128	12
Drumcondra	1931–32	League of Ireland
	Total
Career Total			168	16	18	1	43	5	229	22

References

1. "Willie Reid". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
2. "May 1920". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
3. "Everton Results". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
4. "Untitled Document". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
5. 'Coleman, N. (2015). The Official History of Ballymena United FC. Ballyhay Books.