SAM ENGLISH

'Samuel English' (18 August 1908 - 1967) was a Northern Irish player who played for several clubs, but is mainly remembered for his time with Rangers.
He was born in the hamlet of Crivolea in Aghadowey, County Antrim, Ireland. In 1924 his family moved to Dalmuir in Scotland, and for a time he worked at the John Brown & Company Shipyard.
During the 1930s he played with Yoker Athletic Juniors and with Rangers. He holds the Rangers record for the most goals scored in one season: 44 goals in 1931-32. He also played for Ireland a number of times.
However, his career was overshadowed by an incident in September 1931 where he was involved in an accidental collision with John Thomson, the Celtic goalkeeper. Thomson dived for the ball and his head collided with English's knee (not, as is often assumed, his boot). He suffered serious injuries to his skull and died in hospital a few hours later.
The official enquiry later found that the collision was an accident, and cleared English of any blame, a view which was fully supported by John Thomson's family and all players from both teams who were on the field at the time. Nevertheless, English was deeply traumatised by what had happened to Thomson.
Although he was cleared of malice in the John Thomson incident, jeering by Scottish crowds caused his transfer to England. He played for Liverpool, then Queen of the South, and Hartlepool United. He was to find that his reputation had preceded him, he often faced similar taunts, and he never recovered his playing form. Eventually he gave up football at the age of only 28.
He died in the Vale of Leven Hospital, in West Dunbartonshire, at the age of only 58 after battling motor neurone disease.

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★ Northern Ireland’s Footballing Greats