David “Davie” McLean

Davie McLean was born in Forfar on 13^th December 1890. He started his career as a teenager with Forfar Athletic, before signing for Celtic in 1907.

He won a Glasgow Cup medal early in his career with the club, but found himself as understudy to Jimmy Quinn who was the clubs in form centre forward. He was, however, in both of the squads that won the league titles in his time at Parkhead.

In 1909, he moved south to Preston North End where he spent two season, before moving on to Sheffield Wednesday where he became a prolific goal scorer.

When it came round to renewing his contract at the end of the 1912-1913 season, there was a disagreement between the terms Davie hoped for, which was a three year contract, and what the club were willing to offer. Things came to a head and McLean returned to his hometown club, Forfar Athletic, but by December, he was a Wednesday player again, with a two year contract signed.

When football was halted in England for the duration of WW1, Davie moved back to Scotland where he was involved in ammunition work in the Lanarkshire area, and helping out at Dykehead F.C., until his loan deal was authorised to Third Lanark, 1915-1918, followed by Glasgow Rangers, 1918-1919, where he became the top goal scorer in the Scottish league.

At the end of the war, he returned to Sheffield Wednesday, but found himself on the transfer list for £2000.  He was transferred shortly after to Bradford (Park Avenue).

Davie signed for Dundee F.C. on 2nd August 1922, Bradford (Park Avenue) had been hoping to sell him for £1000, but the fee agreed wasn’t divulged.

He was part of the team that got to the final of the Scottish Cup in 1924-25, and scored the opening goal in the final, which Celtic went on to win 2-1.

By 1926, he was in the latter stages of his playing career. The Courier reported that “he looked like he was returning to the McLean for of old…his shooting boots seemed to have been brushed up.” By the end of the season he was granted a “free transfer”.

He returned once again to Forfar Athletic, where he carried on playing until the age of 42, finally hanging up his boots at the end of the 1931-1932 season. In April 1932, he teamed up with former Dundee team mates for a charity match between Dundee Police v Old Stagers in Forfar. The money raised going to the “Forfar Old Folks Outing Fund.”

Cricket was another sport Davie was passionate about. He played for Strathmore Cricket Club for many years, and was part of the tea in June 1930, when J.M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan), opened the club’s new pavilion.

Davie only gained one Scottish “cap”, in 1912, when he was selected to play against England, many match reporters picked him as the “Man of the Match”. If it wasn’t for the cessation of football in the war years the total would probably have been greater. Between 1910 and 1920, he also played in five Home Scots v Anglo Scots matches.

David Prophet McLean died on 28^th December 1967, and is buried in Newmonthill Cemetery, Forfar.