David Bain (5 August 1900 – 22 February 1966) 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 initially played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

but later became known as a

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Career

Born in Rutherglen in Lanarkshire, Bain played for local

Rutherglen Glencairn Rutherglen Glencairn Football Club is a Scottish football (soccer), football club based in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, near Glasgow. Nicknamed ''The Glens'' and formed in 1896, they play at The Hamish B Allan Stadium (New Southcroft Park). G ...

and was capped once for Scotland Juniors in April 1922 before signing for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, then in England's second tier, at the age of 21. In his second campaign 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 ...

he scored 8 goals in 18 matches, attracting the attention of Everton, where he spent a four-year spell in the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

. He was a member of the inconsistent squad built around

Dixie Dean William Ralph "Dixie" Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest centre-forwards of all time and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in ...

who were nearly relegated but then immediately went on to take the league title in 1927–28, albeit by then Bain had fallen out of favour, featuring only twice in the championship season. After his Goodison Park experience he joined

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

, then moved down the divisions with Halifax Town and Rochdale, spending two seasons at each club.

Personal life

Bain's older brother,

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

, also played for Manchester United. Although they were at the club at the same time for two years, they never appeared together in a competitive fixture. In 1927, Bain married a Welsh girl in Bootle and two sons were born of their marriage. From 1948, they lived in Mather Avenue in

Allerton, Liverpool Allerton is a suburb of Liverpool, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is located southeast of the city centre and is bordered by the suburbs of Garston, Hunt's Cross, Mossley Hill, and Woolton. It has a number of large houses in the pres ...

, where he died in 1966.''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995''

References

1900 births 1966 deaths Footballers from Rutherglen Scottish men's footballers Men's association football forwards Rutherglen Glencairn F.C. players Scottish Junior Football Association players Everton F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football midfielders Scotland men's junior international footballers {{Scotland-footy-forward-1900s-stub