Angus McKinnon (8 December 1886 – May 1968) was a Scottish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

er. McKinnon was born in Paisley and started his career at junior side Petershill before moving south of the border to join

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

, then of the

Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...

. He then moved even further south, joining

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

side Woolwich Arsenal in May 1908. Initially a reserve player, McKinnon made his debut on 12 December 1908 in a 4–1 defeat at the hands of

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

, and only made one more appearance in the 1908–09 season. He mainly played at left half, as an understudy to fellow Scot

Roddy McEachrane Roderick John McEachrane (3 February 1877 – 16 November 1952) was a Scottish footballer, born in Inverness. McEachrane moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team, Thame ...

, and it wasn't until 1911 did McKinnon supplant his countryman and become a regular in the Woolwich Arsenal side. McKinnon was a regular from then on, until official competition was suspended, a period with injury between March and November 1914 excepted. Unfortunately for him, his career with Woolwich Arsenal coincided with their relegation from the First Division in 1913; nevertheless he continued to serve Arsenal (as they had been renamed following their move to

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was situ ...

in 1913) as they pushed for promotion. On the issue of the name the volume "Woolwich Arsenal the club that changed football" traces the changes of the club's name and reports that for the 1914/15 season the club defined itself in the programmes and elsewhere as "The Arsenal" (not Arsenal) for the first time on 10 April 1914 but that name was not registered and that formally with the Board of Trade or the Joint Stock Companies, as would have been required to make the change official. During the war he served as a driver in the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

, and returned to play for Arsenal, who had been elected back to the First Division, once competitive football resumed in 1919. Although by this time 32, he continued to play for Arsenal for another two seasons, and started the 1921–22 season as first-choice left half, before being replaced by the young Tom Whittaker. McKinnon was given a free transfer in the summer of 1922, having played 217 matches for Arsenal, scoring 4 goals. He signed for

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...

, where he played one season, and then moved to Wigan Borough but did not play a single league match for the club and retired in 1923. After retiring, he joined New Brighton; he spent 27 years at the club, between 1935 and 1962, as either trainer or coach. He died in 1968, at the age of 81.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mckinnon, Angus 1886 births 1968 deaths Petershill F.C. players Scottish footballers Carlisle United F.C. players Arsenal F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players New Brighton A.F.C. players Footballers from Paisley, Renfrewshire British Army personnel of World War I English Football League players Wigan Borough F.C. managers Association football wing halves Scottish football managers