Mark Bell (footballer)

Mark Dickson Bell (8 February 1881 – 22 October 1961) was a Scottish footballer who played for Heart of Midlothian in the early years of the twentieth century, helping them to win the Scottish Cup in 1901, before moving to southern England where he won Southern League championships with Southampton and Fulham. He won one international cap with Scotland in 1901.

Mark Bell
Personal information
Full name Mark Dickson Bell[1]
Date of birth (1881-02-08)8 February 1881
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 22 October 1961(1961-10-22) (aged 80)
Place of death Edinburgh, Scotland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position(s) Outside right
Youth career
Roseberry Juniors
St Bernard's
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1900–1902 Heart of Midlothian
1902–1903 Southampton 9 (6)
1903–1904 Heart of Midlothian
1904–1907 Fulham 58 (6)
1907–1910 Clapton Orient 88 (4)
1910–1915 Leyton
1915–1919 New Brompton
National team
1901 Scotland 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Heart of Midlothian

Bell was born in Edinburgh and after junior football with Roseberry and St Bernard's, he joined Heart of Midlothian in April 1900. In his first season with Hearts, he was joint top scorer (with Bill Porteous) with eight goals and was a member of the team that won the Scottish Cup, defeating Division One runners-up Celtic 4–3. He earned his solitary cap for Scotland in a 1–1 draw with Wales on 2 March 1901.[2]

At Hearts he was regarded as a nippy forward, equally at home on either wing.[3] In 1901–02 he helped Hearts to third place in the Scottish League table.

Southampton

In 1902, he moved to the south coast of England, where Southampton were attempting to reclaim the Southern League title and recruited six new players, including fellow Scots, Tom Robertson from Liverpool and Jack Fraser from St Mirren.

Bell made his debut on 18 October 1902, standing in for Joe Turner, in a 1–1 draw at Kettering Town.[4] Injury prevented him making regular appearances, although he made six consecutive league (and three in the FA Cup) in January and February replacing the injured Dick Evans. Bell contributed six league goals, plus one in the cup, including a pair in an 11–0 victory over Watford on 13 December 1902. This remains the "Saints" joint highest victory margin in League football.[4]

In his nine Southern League appearances, he scored six goals, helping Southampton claim the Southern League title for the fifth time in seven years.[4]

Later career

In April 1903, he returned to Hearts helping them to take the runners-up position in the Scottish League for the 1903–04 season.

He then returned to the Southern League with Fulham where he helped them take the championship title for the first time in 1905–06 (when Southampton were runners-up) and again the following season.

He left Fulham in 1907 and spent the rest of his career with various London clubs, including Clapton Orient and Leyton, before finishing his career with New Brompton, where he played as a half back.[5]

After the First World War he emigrated to Australia in 1919.[3]

Honours
Heart of Midlothian
Southampton
Fulham
gollark: ツ
gollark: 1-2 CB golds?
gollark: If one of my dragons somehow dies, it will be named `pun overdose`.
gollark: This sentence has no context.
gollark: 3Gs. Obviously.

References
  1. Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele (17 October 2019). "Scotland - International Matches 1901-1910". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  2. Wales 1 Scotland 1 (2 March 1901) – Match details
  3. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  4. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. pp. 32–33. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  5. Saints – A complete record. p. 233.
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