John McDowell Torbet (25 September 1903 – 16 February 1957) was a Scottish 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 le ...

who played as an

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 ...

. Born in Benwhat,

Dalmellington Dalmellington ( sco, Dawmellinton, gd, Dail M'Fhaolain) is a market town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2001 the village had a population of 1,407. The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, he signed for

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...

from Cumnock Juniors in 1924, and went on to become the club's sixth-highest scorer of all time, scoring 116 goals in all competitions. During his nine-year spell at

Firhill Firhill Stadium is a football and former rugby union, rugby league and greyhound racing stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland which has been the home of Partick Thistle since 1909. The stadium is commonly referred to as simp ...

he played in the

1930 Scottish Cup final The 1929–30 Scottish Cup was the 52nd staging of Scotland's most prestigious football (soccer), football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers F.C., Rangers who defeated Partick Thistle F.C., Partick Thistle in the replayed final. F ...

(scoring his side's goal in a 2-1 replay defeat to Rangers), and was selected for the

Glasgow FA Founded in 1883, the Glasgow Football Association, based in the city of Glasgow, Scotland and affiliated to the national Scottish Football Association, is one of the oldest such bodies in football. In the modern game its influence is limited, th ...

annual challenge match against

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

three times. Torbet then moved to England, playing for

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

in 1933 before moving to Burton Town and

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

, then returned to Scotland with

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

, followed by brief spells with

Alloa Athletic Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire. Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...

and Leith Athletic. After retiring as a player, he became the Heart of Midlothian trainer in April 1946 until 1952.Leaders of Men: John Harvey
Heart of Midlothian FC, 24 March 2020

References

External links

Jack Tarbatt, 1937-38
ScottishLeague.net, June 2007 1903 births 1957 deaths Footballers from East Ayrshire Scottish men's footballers Men's association football outside forwards Scottish Junior Football Association players Cumnock Juniors F.C. players Partick Thistle F.C. players Ayr United F.C. players Alloa Athletic F.C. players Leith Athletic F.C. players Burton Town F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Heart of Midlothian F.C. non-playing staff Scottish Football League players English Football League players People from Dalmellington {{Scotland-footy-forward-1900s-stub