John McPherson (footballer, born 1868)
John McPherson was a Scottish footballer who played for Cowlairs, Kilmarnock, Rangers and the Scotland national team.
Career
Early career
Born in Kilmarnock and known as 'Kitey' from a young age, McPherson started his career with his local side Kilmarnock, winning the Ayrshire Cup in 1885. He appeared for English club Everton as an amateur in 1887, also playing for Cowlairs of Glasgow in the early rounds of the 1887–88 Scottish Cup, which led to a protest by their defeated opponents Third Lanark over the possibility of McPherson and others having professional status. Another player was found to have been paid by an English club and the match was replayed, with Cowlairs winning again. McPherson did not return to Everton, featuring instead for Kilmarnock in the same edition of the Scottish Cup before spending the next two years with Cowlairs, after which he joined Rangers in 1890.Rangers
McPherson played mainly as a striker at Rangers, but was often used in other positions including goalkeeper. He played in the inaugural Scottish League season, 1890–91, where Rangers finished as joint champions with Dumbarton. McPherson's first recorded appearance was in a friendly against Everton on 19 April 1890 at Ibrox, and he scored in a 6–2 defeat. His first League appearance, however, was in Rangers' first ever Scottish League match, on 16 August 1890 in a 5–2 win over Hearts at Ibrox, in which he scored. McPherson scored 15 goals in Rangers' 18 matches in the League that season, including four in a 6–2 win over Cambuslang at Whitefield Park on 23 August 1890 and five in an 8–2 win over St Mirren on 4 October 1890.Despite Rangers' successful introduction to the Scottish Football League, they had to wait until season 1898–99 to win the League title again. It was done in style as Rangers won all of their 18 League matches, with McPherson netting 10 times. That remarkable season was the first of four consecutive League titles and McPherson made significant contributions to all of them, scoring nine goals in 1899–1900, seven in 1900–01 and three in 1901–02 — which proved to be his last season with Rangers.
McPherson also won three Scottish Cup medals with Rangers, the first in 1894, where he scored in five of Rangers' six matches, including the 3–1 final win over Celtic at Hampden. McPherson also scored in the 1897 final, where Rangers defeated Dumbarton 5–1. His third medal came a year later, 1898, in a 2–0 win over his former club Kilmarnock. His final recorded appearance for Rangers was in a 2–0 friendly defeat to Glentoran on 2 April 1902.
International career
McPherson was also a Scottish International, winning a total of nine caps and scoring six goals. He is one of four players named John McPherson to have represented Scotland at full international level. He also played five times for the Scottish League representative side.International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 29 March 1890 | Ballynafeigh, Belfast | 3–1 | 4–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 2 | 5 April 1890 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | 0–1 | 1–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 3 | 26 March 1892 | Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh | 3–0 | 6–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 4 | 26 March 1892 | Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh | 4–0 | 6–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 5 | 27 March 1897 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | 1–0 | 5–1 | British Home Championship | |
| 6 | 27 March 1897 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | 5–1 | 5–1 | British Home Championship |
Personal life
A qualified engine–fitter, McPherson maintained a close association with Rangers after his playing years, serving as a director from 1907 until his death in 1926 at the age of 58. He is buried in Craigton Cemetery not far from Ibrox Stadium.McPherson had several family members involved in football. His son, also John, played at Junior level with Benburb, and his grandson Johnny played a single league match for Rangers in 1948 followed by spells at senior level with Ayr United and in the juniors with Irvine Meadow.
In addition, his younger brother David was a teammate at Rangers, had a long spell at Kilmarnock and was also a Scottish international. Elder brother James was a teammate at Kilmarnock, Cowlairs and the Glasgow FA team, played as a guest for Celtic and spent a lengthy period as a trainer at Newcastle United working with Frank Watt; when James retired, the role was taken by his son :nl:James McPherson|Jim, whose previous jobs included the Norway squad at the 1920 Olympics, Vitesse in the Netherlands and Bayern Munich in Germany. Another of James's sons :nl:Robert McPherson|Robert was also a trainer/manager who led HBS to the Dutch championship in 1925, while his daughter Mary married Newcastle player and Germany international Edwin Dutton.