SeaCider

Seems a bit ridiculous to post this considering the ongoing state of affairs but one small thing I wondered if Accies fans had thought about. Obviously, regarding the whole facebook fiasco with the club’s official page being stolen by the stadium company, which is a shambles in itself, it made me think. The club’s entire facebook history, every video, every photo, including some genuine good moments for the club are now forever stuck on a facebook page that is no longer their own. There are plenty of resources out there for how to implement social strategy at a football club and Accies have become the poster child in how to get it completely wrong. It could be resolved if Zengin is able to buy the stadium and they get the page back but only time will tell.

Robert Millar | Team Coach Robert Millar was born on 12 May 1890 in Paisley, East Renfrewshire and began his footballing career with his hometown club St Mirren where he would play from 1909-1911. His honours with the Buddies included the Paisley Charity Cup and Renfrewshire Cup wins in 1910. He emigrated to the United States and shortly afterwards would join Disston A.A. Nicknamed the "Sawmakers" as they were based out of the Philadelphia Saw Works. As we've seen with the previous players bios, it seems that many of the early soccer teams in the US were tied directly to different trades. In 1913 Millar moved to the Brooklyn Field Club and would be involved in a riot when his former team payed them a visit. During the match against Disston, Millar was attacked by an opposition fan which sparked a brawl between fans and players from both teams. Later that year, he and the field club defeated Brooklyn Celtic in National Challenge Cup final and Millar was assist for the winning goal. He moved to Bethlehem Steel in 1914 and would score 59 goals in 33 games across league and cup competitions, setting a new US record in the process. This was followed by spells at Robins Dry Dock, J&P Coats, Erie A.A., Fall River, NY Field Club and the NY Giants. In 1925, Millar would become player-manager of Indiana Flooring based in New York and remained there for 2 years before jumping to the New York Nationals, again as player-coach. This was followed by a short spell with Newark Skeeters in 1929. In 1930 Millar was selected to coach the US National Team as it prepared to enter the inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament in Uruguay. The National teams success, both in their 3-0 wins in the group stage and progress to the semi finals surprised many pundits at the time. Millar's team would ofcourse include fellow native Scots, Alex Wood, Andy Auld, Bart McGhee, James Brown and Jimmy Gallagher, which demonstrates how Scotland played a small part in the first ever World Cup. Post-World Cup the US toured South America facing professional clubs, a Brazilian league XI and an all star team. Millar left his post with the US upon his return to the country. He finished his time with a 2-2 record. Following his retirement from the game, he would be inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950. His daughter Mary Martin was residing in Gresham, Oregon when she was interviewed by local news station KGW about her father in the run up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Robert passed away on Staten Island, New York on 26 February 1967 aged 76.

Jimmy Gallagher | Midfielder Jimmy Gallagher was born on 7 June 1901 in Kirkintilloch. He would not play football at an early age as he moved to the USA with his mother at the age of 12 where they settled in the New York area. When he was 17, James signed the amateur team Tebo Yacht Basin out of Brooklyn where they went on to win the New York State League title in 1920-21 as well as the Southern New York State Association Cup and the La Sultana Cup. They just missed out on the 1921 National Challenge Cup final, losing to Brooklyn Robins Dry Dock. Later in 1921, Jimmy moved to the J & P Coats (later renamed Pawtucket Rangers) in Rhode Island along with his Basin team mate Albert Mitchell. This move meant a step-up to the professional game as the Coats were part of the newly formed American Soccer League. Success would follow Jimmy to Rhode Island as the Coats won the ASL in 1922/23 and reached the semi-finals of the National Challenge Cup, losing to Paterson FC. A short spell with Fall River in 1923 was followed by a move to the New York Giants and then Fleisher Yarn. Jimmy then moved to Indiana Flooring in 1925, who despite their name played out of the NY Area. Jimmy would stay with the club for 5 years during which time it's name would change several times, to New York Nationals and then New York Giants (not the same one). Jimmy would featured in over 140 games for the Nationals, scoring 30 goals from a right wing position and picked up more honours as the Nationals won the ASL in 1930 as wel as the Lewis Cup. His form for the Nationals / Giants saw him recognised at International level when he selected to represent the US national team at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. Jimmy featured in all 3 of the USA matches as well as the post tournament fixture with Brazil. His last appearance for the USA came in a victory over Mexico in 1934 which saw the nation qualify for that year's World Cup. He is sometimes confused with another James Gallagher who represented the USA soccer team at the 1928 Olympics. Another ASL title followed for Jimmy as the NY Giants won the Championship in 1932, just as the ASL was beginning to collapse. The Giants would fold later that year and Jimmy would move on to New York Field Club. This was followed by spells with Malta United based out of Long Island, Cleveland Slavia and Cleveland Graphite Bronze. When he left the NY area and moved to Ohio, Jimmy had amassed over 300 career matches, which remained the 3rd highest of any US player until 2006. In 1937 Gallagher married Marie. Together they went on to have two daughters, Rita and Carol. He would go on to have 11 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Jimmy passed away on 7 October 1971 at the age of 70 and would be posthumously inducted into the 1986 Soccer Hall of Fame with his 1930 team mates (and fellow Scots).

Mind you, depends wether or not a certain Mr. van Veen returns to these shores in the next day or two. Don’t see it happening personally.

I think Vassell will most probably start, just hope he’s learned to shoot from a one-vs-one this week.

I’m sorry?

Bartholomew "Bart" McGhee | Forward Bart McGhee was born on 30 April 1899 in Edinburgh and was raised in a footballing family as his father, James McGhee, had captained Hibernian to their Scottish Cup victory in 1887 and had also turned out for Celtic before managing Hearts during the 1908-09 season. James would emigrate to the United States in 1910 and would be joined by his family in 1912 where they settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bart began to play soccer at amateur level aged 19 with his first club being New York Shipbuilding. His brother Jimmy would also play for clubs in the Philadelphia area, such as Harrison SC and Philadelphia Field Club and the 2 brother would even play together with Wolfenden Shore. His last amateur club would be Philadelphia Hibernian whom he played for during the 1921-22 season. Bart would turn professional in 1922 when he signed with the New York Field Club in the American Soccer League where he would score 23 goals in 48 games over 2 seasons. A single season with Philly based Fleisher Yarn followed before he returned to New York to sign with the New York Nationals in 1925. At the Nationals, Bart was part of a team that would have tremendous success in American Soccer. They would win the National Challenge Cup in 1928 and followed this by winning the ASL Cup, or the Lewis Cup as it was known, the following year. The club would change it's named to New York Giants and went on to win the ASL Championship in 1931. In the 6 years that he featured for the Nationals / Giants, Bart would score 97 goals and make over 250 appearances. In 1930 his form saw him selected to represent the United States national team at the first ever FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. He would score the US' first goal in their 3-0 opening win over Belgium. This was also the 2nd ever World Cup goal and it would also unofficially make Bart the 1st Scotsman to score at a World Cup. After the World Cup he would retire from football just a couple of years later and remained in the United States for the rest of his life. Bart passed away on 26 January 1979 at the age of 79 and would be posthumously inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986 with his 1930 team mates. His career stats show that he played in 350 league matches, scoring 127 goals which almost always came from a left wing position.

James Brown | Forward | "Broon fae Troon" James Brown, like Andy Auld, was another native Ayrshire man, born in Kilmarnock on 31 December 1908 and grew up in the nearby coastal town of Troon. Unlike most his future US team mates, James did not play organized football in Scotland and his skills were instead honed the old natural way: on the streets. He coupled this with an apprenticeship in a nearby shipyard as a riveter. Football skill seemed to run in the family, as his brother John became a goalkeeper and would play for a number of clubs including Clyde where he would win the Scottish Cup in 1930, the same year he would also earn a full Scotland cap. Another brother, Tom, would play for local junior sides before signing with Ipswich Town, making over 100 appearances. The Brown's uncle, Alex Lambie, played professionally for Partick Thistle, earning over 200 appearances over a 10 year spell with the club. At age 12 James' father would dessert the family and head for the United States. James would cross the Atlantic in 1927 to track him down. When he arrived in the US, he found work in a metal factory and joined Plainfield Soccer Club, scoring 4 goals on his debut before quickly moving on to amateur side Bayonne Rovers. He was nicknamed "Red" or "Ginger" by his teammates due to his fiery hair. He would score 16 goals in 13 games for the club, a goal in every game he played in. In 1930 James would turn professional, signing for the New York Giants and made an instant impact, with 13 goals in 26 games and this step up to the American Soccer League garnered him his call up for the US National team at the 1930 World Cup. He featured in all of the team's matches, only managing to score a late consolation in the 6-1 defeat to Argentina, which to this day makes him the only Scotsman to have scored in the semi-final of the World Cup. Brown would return to the UK in 1932 following the collapse of the American Soccer League. Brown's reputation as a goalscorer, as well as his achievements at international level, made him a highly sought after signing for several clubs in both Scotland and England. Ultimately it would be none other than Manchester United who would gain his signature. On his debut against Grimsby town, he would score directly from a corner kick within the opening 90 seconds of the match. He would go on to score 17 goals in 40 games between 1932 and 1934 , including the winner against their city rivals in the Manchester Senior Cup final. Sadly, as was to become the recurring tale of his career, Brown's constant advocacy for a player's union is what would lead to his relationship with the United management breaking down and he was transferred to Brentford for a fee of £300. His strong union beliefs went with him to London and he would only make 1 full first team appearance for Brentford but he would score 53 goals in 74 games for the club's reserve team. In 1936 Brown was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £1,200. In October 2023, Brown was included in Tottenham Hotspurs’ legacy numbers list which assigned numbers to every player in the club’s history to make a competitive appearance, coming in at #345. His time with Spurs would once again be short-lived, and he moved on to semi-professional Guildford City in 1937. The club would win the Southern Football League in 1938 and the following season would be a notable one for James, racking up 5 hat-tricks as well as scoring 7 goals in 1 match with 6 of these being headers. His stats at Guildford speak for themselves: 148 goals in 150 games! James returned to Scotland in November 1940, joining his brother John at Clyde. During a match for Clyde, just like his debut with Manchester United, he would score directly from a corner kick. He retired due to injuries soon after. Clyde would finish the season in second place, only three points behind eventual champions Rangers. After football he would return to the Troon shipyards to resume his trade as a riveter before heading back to the United States to take up various coaching positions with Greenwich High School, Greenport United, Brunswick School and Elizabeth Falcons. His son George would also have a career in football earning 2 caps for the US national team between 1957-59. James would be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986 along with his 1930 team-mates. George would later be inducted in 1995. James passed away on November 9th 1994 in Berkley Heights, New Jersey at the age of 85. His grandson, also named James Brown, has recently published a book about his family's exploits in British football, American soccer and Australian rugby. Which you can purchase here if interested. https://amzn.eu/d/hWHCMUG How different would James' career have been if he had stayed in Scotland? Would his natural ability see him play for the likes of Celtic or Rangers, or the Scotland National team? How many goals would he rack up in the Scottish leagues? Let me know your thoughts.. James Brown Clip.mp4

Alexander Lochian Wood | Defender Alexander Wood or "Sandy" as he was also known was born in the Fife village of Lochgelly on June 12th 1907. He grew up playing football in Scotland and, at the age of 13, was capped for the Scotland National Junior team in 1921 in a match against Wales before he and his parents would emigrate to the United States later that year, settling in Gary, Indiana. In the US he would continue his playing career in football or soccer, turning out for sides such as Chicago's Bricklayers and Masons who would reach the National Challenge Cup final in 1928, losing to the New York Nationals. A brief stint with Detroit Holley Carburetor followed before he turned professional in 1930 when he joined Brooklyn Wanderers in the American Soccer League. Although this was to be short loved as the Wanderers would fold the next year. It was also in 1930 that Wood would be selected to represent the United States National Team at the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay. He would featured in all 3 of the USA's matches: 3−0 victories over Paraguay and Belgium respectively before being eliminated in the semi-finals at the hands of Argentina in a 6−1 defeat. Wood would also play in a 4−3 post tournament loss to either the Brazilian national team or a Brazil XI made up of Botafogo players, sources conflict. In 1933 Wood returned to the UK when he signed for Leicester City and would over 50 appearances for the foxes before moving on to Nottingham Forest for the 1936/37 season. He would join Colchester United in 1938 and his final club would be Chelmsford City where he would finish his playing career in 1939. He would return to Indiana to work in the steel industry until his retirement in 1970. Wood and his fellow 1930 team mates would be inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986. Alexander Wood died on July 20th 1987, aged 80.

I’ve heard conflicting things, like how we weren’t fifa members but at the same time, another source I read said every single nation with a national team at the time was invited to participate in the first world cup. I think the travelling would have been the killer, it was hard enough for the US team to get down there. Interestingly to this day, the 1930 WC is still the one with the fewest european teams. Egypt, Japan and Siam were all originally supposed to participate but the latter two withdrew while Egypt missed their boat to South America. Also how Uruguay came to actually host the event seems to be due to the other host nations (Italy, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain and Hungary) withdrawing their bids.

Between 1954 and 1998, Scotland qualified for the FIFA World Cup on 8 occasions. Despite some memorable performances and world class players at their disposal, Scotland have never reached beyond the group stage of any international tournament, and never won more than one match in a group. But what if 5 lucky Scotsmen not only progressed through a group but went on to pick up a bronze medal at a World Cup, would you believe it? Well they did… …for the USA! Of the 16 players selected to represent the United States at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, 5 of them were born and grew up in Scotland, and even their coach, Robert Millar, was Scottish. Defender: Alexander "Sandy " Wood, born in Lochgelly, Fife 12th June 1907 Midfielder: Andrew "Dasher " Auld, born in Stevenston, North Ayrshire, 30th April 1900 Midfielder: Jimmy Gallagher, born in Kirkintilloch, 7th June 1901 Forward: Bartholomew "Bart " McGhee, born in Edinburgh, 30th April 1899 Forward: James Brown, born in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, 31st December 1908 Hi folks, I'm Aidan, a filmmaker from Saltcoats. In 2022 I produced a short documentary about one of those US players, Andy Auld, who was born in raised in Stevenston, North Ayrshire where he played at Junior level as a midfielder for Stevenston and Parkhead before emigrating to the US where he turned out for Providence Clamdiggers and was called up to the US national team for the first time in 1926, scoring 2 goals on his debut. He would be called up again in 1930 as the country made their debut on the World stage where they would make it all the way to the semi-finals before being eliminated by a bullish Argentina side. The US were then awarded third place over Yugoslavia. In my research I discovered more and more details of this incredible story which suprisingly few people in Scotland have ever heard of. I'm hoping to use this topic / forum to share what I've found and bring it to a wider audience. Feel free to take a look at my video linked below. Andy Auld: Ardeer to America