John Cameron Fraser (born 24 May 1941) is a Scottish former professional

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 ...

who played as a full back. He played 80 games for

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

in the Scottish Football League and a further 72 for Aston Villa and

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

in the English Football League.

Playing career

Fraser, born in Blackford, Perth and Kinross, began his football career as a youngster with Gairdoch United before joining

in 1958 at the age of 17. Under

Jock Stein John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...

's management at Dunfermline, he was a

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

, defeating Celtic 2–0 in the replay after the original tie had finished goalless. Fraser, then 19, was the youngest player in the squad. This victory meant that Dunfermline qualified for the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

. Fraser played in the club's run to the quarter-final, in which they lost to Újpesti Dózsa 5–3 on aggregate, though he missed the first leg of the quarter-final due to influenza apparently brought on by a

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

. He was twice capped for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

at under-23 level during his time with Dunfermline. In October 1962, Fraser joined First Division club Aston Villa for a fee of £24,000, which paid for Dunfermline's new main stand. He played 40 games for Aston Villa in all competitions, and was on the losing side in the

1963 Football League Cup Final The 1963 Football League Cup Final, the third to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between local rivals Birmingham City and Aston Villa over two legs. Aston Villa had won the inaugural competition in 1960–61, and had b ...

against

. Following a contractual dispute with the club he quit, joining his wife's hairdressing business in London, before returning to football in February 1965 with Birmingham City, who paid Villa a £9,000 fee for his services. Fraser made a few appearances in attack for Birmingham,

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

at the end of the 1964–65 season, and played regularly at right-back the following season. He then returned to Scotland to join Falkirk, though never played for the first team.

Personal life

In 2007, Fraser was reported as spending much of his time in Australia and the Far East. His father William played professional football for

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

and

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

Honours

with Dunfermline Athletic *

with Aston Villa * Football League Cup runners-up:

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Cammie 1941 births Living people Footballers from Perth and Kinross Scottish men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Falkirk F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scotland men's under-23 international footballers