Alan Lauder Morton (24 April 1893 – 12 December 1971) was a Scottish
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
outside left
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
for
Queen's Park,
Rangers and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Playing career
Club
Morton was born in the
Jordanhill
Jordanhill ( sco, Jordanhull, gd, Cnoc Iòrdain)
is an ...
district of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
He grew up in
Airdrie, where his family relocated due to his father's work.
After leaving
Airdrie Academy he had an unsuccessful trial with
Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
.
Consequently, he entered studies to become a
mining engineer
Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...
while playing with
Queen's Park,
the famous amateur club.
Once fully qualified in 1920 he turned professional, becoming
Bill Struth
William Struth (16 June 1875 – 21 September 1956) was a Scottish football manager. He was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as being the holder of a number of other posi ...
's first signing as manager of Rangers, but only on the proviso that he could maintain his position as a mining engineer.
Morton only measured 5 ft 4 inches in height but his talent lay in his physical balance, speed and thought.
Rangers enjoyed a sustained period of success, winning the
Scottish league championship
The Scottish League Championship (currently the Tennents League Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic rugby union league system within Scotland. Operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, the championship was founded in 1973 as the fi ...
in 1921, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931. Highlights included the
1928 Scottish Cup Final
The 1927–28 Scottish Cup was the 50th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Celtic 4–0 in an Old Firm final; it was their first victory in the competition for 25 years ...
win against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
, which ended a 25‑year wait to win the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...](_blank)
d, played 470 times for the ''Gers'' and scored 109 goals.
International
Morton made his international debut for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
on 26 February 1920 against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. He would go on to play in every international against the ''Auld Enemy'',
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, from 1920 to 1932 bar the fixture at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
in 1926, eventually winning 31 caps. It was in the 1928 full international in London where Morton, as part of an under-rated Scottish side that beat England 5–1 in driving rain to record a famous triumph, earned the moniker: "
Wembley Wizards
The Wembley Wizards is the nickname for the Scotland national football team that crushed England 5–1 at Wembley in the 1928 British Home Championship.
Background
Scotland had failed to win either of their previous matches in the 1928 British ...
". Three of Morton's crosses were converted by
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
's
Alex Jackson.
Ivan Sharpe
Ivan Gordon Sharpe (15 June 1889 – 9 February 1968) was an English amateur association football, footballer. Although an amateur himself, he played for several professional clubs, including Watford F.C., Watford, Derby County F.C., Derby Coun ...
, the ex‑player and writer, commented on the victory: ''"England were not merely beaten. They were bewildered – run to a standstill, made to appear utterly inferior by a team whose play was as cultured and beautiful as I ever expect to see."''
In addition he made 15 appearances (scoring 1 goal) for the
Scottish League XI (making his debut on 22 February 1919 against the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
at
St. Andrew's,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
after playing in three wartime fundraising matches) and four Scotland wartime appearances (a charity match and three
Victory International
The term Victory International or Victory Internationals refers to two series of international football matches played by the national football teams of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales at the end of both the First and Second World Wars. The ...
s).
Retirement
After retiring Morton became an important administrator within Scottish sport. He was appointed to the Rangers board of directors and he remained there until the year of his death.
Further afield, he demonstrated an inclination toward
Unionist politics in reaction to the rise in post-War
Scottish nationalism
Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity.
Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into t ...
. He also owned a coal business in central Scotland. Today a portrait of Morton in his Scottish strip stands at the top of the marble staircase at
Ibrox's Main Stand, such is his enduring stature at the club.
Personal life
His elder brother
Bob Morton also played for Queen's Park, where the siblings were teammates for six seasons.
Honours
Scottish League: (9)
*
1920–21,
1922–23,
1923–24,
1924–25,
1926–27,
1927–28,
1928–29,
1929–30,
1930–31
Scottish Cup: (3)
*
1927–28,
1929–30,
1931–32[played in drawn Final in ]1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
but not in Replay
Glasgow Cup: (5)
*1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1929–30, 1931–32
See also
*
(500+)
*
List of Scotland national football team captains
This article lists all the captains of the Scotland national football team. As of 16 November 2022, Scotland have played 816 officially recognised international matches and have had 155 different team captains. George Young captained Scotland m ...
*
List of Scotland wartime international footballers
*
List of Scottish football families
This is a list of Scottish football (soccer) families.
;Families included on the list must have:
# at least, one member of the family is capped by a national team on the senior level or an important person in the game of football (e.g., notable ...
References
*
*
External links
Rangers ''Hall of Fame'' profile*
Scottish Football Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Alan
1893 births
1971 deaths
Footballers from Glasgow
Association football wingers
Rangers F.C. players
Queen's Park F.C. players
Scottish footballers
Scotland international footballers
Scotland wartime international footballers
Rangers F.C. non-playing staff
Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees
Scottish Football League players
People educated at Airdrie Academy
Scottish Football League representative players
Place of death missing
People from Jordanhill
Footballers from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire