John Christopher McDonald (27 August 1921 – 28 June 2007) was an English

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, rugb ...

who played as an outside forward for various clubs in the 1940s and 1950s. During his spell at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...

, he helped them claim the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

championship title in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

Football career

McDonald was born in Maltby,

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

and joined

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club' ...

as a trainee in May 1937, aged 15. Shortly after his 17th birthday, in September 1938, he signed professional papers before going on to make two appearances for "Wolves" in the First Division. In May 1939, McDonald was transferred to

Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ...

, but the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

broke out and normal football was suspended before he made his debut. During the war, he made guest appearances for a whole host of clubs, including

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 ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

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 Salford to the west. The ...

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. He won the southern

Football League War Cup The Football League War Cup was an association football tournament held between 1939 and 1945. It aimed to fill the gap left in English football by the suspension of the FA Cup during the Second World War. Though it was often referred to in conte ...

with Chelsea in 1945 and scored in the final at Wembley. At the end of the war, he returned to Bournemouth and soon made a name for himself as a goal-scoring left-winger, scoring 36 goals in 80 appearances in the

Football League Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...

. In

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

, Bournemouth finished as runners-up, but missed out on the only promotion spot available. (It was to be nearly 40 years before the "Cherries" eventually reached the Second Division.) McDonald's form soon attracted the attention of bigger teams, and in June 1948 he moved to London to join

for a fee of £12,000. At the time of his transfer, Fulham's manager

Jack Peart John George Peart (3 October 1888 – 3 September 1948) was an English association football, footballer who played forward (association football), centre forward for 13 different teams, in a career which spanned World War I. After he retir ...

commented in the club's year book:

"For the present season 1948–9, we have made a few additions to our playing staff. No doubt chief interest will be focused on Jack McDonald, whose transfer we have secured from the Bournemouth and Boscombe Club in spite of very strong competition. I am certain Jack will prove a great acquisition."

McDonald only missed one match in the 1948–49 season, scoring nine goals. His crosses assisted the other forwards, including

Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...

, who scored 19, and Bob Thomas, who was top scorer with 23, as the club claimed the

championship title by one point ahead of

and long-time leaders,

. In the First Division, McDonald's form was not so prolific and he eventually lost his place to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

international Johnny Campbell, making only five appearances in each of the 1950–51 and 1951–52 seasons. In August 1952, he was signed by Southampton as a replacement for Tom Lowder who was out with

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

. McDonald made his debut for the "Saints" in the opening match of the 1952–53 season and scored four goals in the first eight matches, before a sudden loss of form led to the recall of Lowder following his return to health. In a match against

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

at The Dell on 20 September, McDonald took a penalty; the first attempt was kicked straight at Jimmy Kirk in the Bury goal and he then lofted the rebound over the bar. McDonald spent most of the rest of the season relegated to the reserves, although he was tried at

centre-forward 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 four matches near the end of the season, with no conspicuous success. In the summer of 1953, McDonald was transfer-listed and sold to

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

for a fee of £800. The following year, he retired from league football, and returned to live in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

where he obtained employment as a P.E. teacher. Whilst playing for Weymouth, then in the Southern League, McDonald returned to The Dell in December 1956 for an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

match – his team put up a gallant fight, only going down 3–2, with Southampton's Jimmy Shields being sent off following a foul on the Weymouth goalkeeper. (This match was the first time Cup football had been played at the Dell under floodlights.)

Later career

McDonald subsequently moved to Elgin in Scotland before returning to England to live in retirement on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

Honours

Fulham *

champions:

References