Owen McNally's eight goals in a game

[bonxie]

I noticed in a football annual that a number of players hold the record for scoring 8 goals in a game,all in the 1920s and 30s - McGrory, Dyet, Haywood, Calder and McNally. Lots has been written about McGrory and to a lesser extent Dyet (as he did it on his debut). Haywood's seems to be a statistical error and someone has posted something on this site about Calder. But what about McNally's 8 goals for Arthurlie v Armadale in 1928? Who was he and what happened to his career afterwards?

[BMCCOLL]

From Litster...

season/club/date signed
1926/27 Celtic 19/3/1927 (from Denny Hibs)
1927/28 Arthurlie 19/8/1927 (then to Celtic from 28/4/28]
1927/28 Celtic 28/4/1928
1927/28 Celtic (then to Arthurlie from 19/8/27)
1928/29 Celtic 29/4/1929
1928/29 Hamilton Academical 23/2/1929 (back to Celtic 29/4/29)
1928/29 Celtic (loaned to Hamilton 23/2/29)
1929/30 Celtic (loaned to Bray Unknowns 17/9/30)
1934/35 Stenhousemuir 21/11/1934 (then to Lausanne from 31/1/35)

[nightfire]

From Litster...

season/club/date signed
1926/27 Celtic 19/3/1927 (from Denny Hibs)
1927/28 Arthurlie 19/8/1927 (then to Celtic from 28/4/28]
1927/28 Celtic 28/4/1928
1927/28 Celtic (then to Arthurlie from 19/8/27)
1928/29 Celtic 29/4/1929
1928/29 Hamilton Academical 23/2/1929 (back to Celtic 29/4/29)
1928/29 Celtic (loaned to Hamilton 23/2/29)
1929/30 Celtic (loaned to Bray Unknowns 17/9/30)
1934/35 Stenhousemuir 21/11/1934 (then to Lausanne from 31/1/35)

Just looking at that list - what must it have been like for a player in the 1930s moving from Stenhousemuir to Switzerland

[Scottish]

Owen McNally played 11 league games for Celtic in total, scoring four times. He scored seven times for Hamilton in ten league outings. At Arthurlie he scored 32 league goals and was -unsurprisingly - the club's top league scorer in 1927-28. As far as I can tell he never scored any goals in the Scottish Cup.

According to Michael Joyce's book on pre-war Football League players McNally was born in Denny on 25/06/1906 and died in 1973. In addition to the clubs mentioned above he also played six league matches for Cardiff City in 1931-32 without scoring and had a trial period with Norwich City in 1932-33 between his time at Bray Unknowns & Lausanne but didn't play any games.

Joyce also has him as playing for Sligo Rovers & Distillery after Lausanne then a spell with Leicester City where he scored seven times in sixteen league games (five from ten in 1935-36 & two from six in 1936-37). He then played for Racing Club De Paris and Shamrock Rovers.

He scored his only FA Cup goal in a 5th round tie at Middlesbrough in February 1936 which Leicester lost 2-1.

[bonxie]

Thanks for this. As you say, moving from Stennie to Switzerland, who'd have believed it - sounds like a pub quiz trivia question!

[soccerhistory]

According to my guide to foreign players [non-French] in the French professional leagues McNally played for Calais (a Div 2 team) and not Racing Club de Paris in 1937-38.

[Insertnamehere]

Does anyone know who and when Owen scored his 8 goals for Arthurlie against? And does anyone have a picture of the chap?

[Scottish]

As mentioned above it was v Armadale. It was a home league match (2nd division) which Arthurlie won 10-0 on October 1st 1927.

[Insertnamehere]

Opps sorry and thanks!

[Boabthe warrior]

A good picture of him appeared in the Leicester City who's who

[catecasey]

Owen McNally was my great uncle. It was only this morning that I was telling someone about his 8 goal record and during my lunch decided to google his name for the 1st time....So whilst the original posts are over 3 years old I hope I can be of help !
I do have a team picture of him for the period whilst he was playing football in France and I am also in possession of some winners medals - although I have no idea what the competitions are - perhaps someone will be able to help with this if I can provide further details ?

[leicester]

Hi Cate,

Herewith the brief profile of Owen from the latest (2010) edition of the Leicester City history, Of Fossils & Foxes.

McNally, Owen
b. Denny, Stirlingshire, 20th June 1906; d. Denny, 1973
Career: Denny Hibs; Feb 1927 Celtic; Aug 1927-loan-Arthurlie; Feb 1929-loan-Hamilton Academical; Sept 1930 Bray Unknowns; cs 1931 Cardiff City; cs 1932 Bray Unknowns; cs 1933 Lausanne-Sports; Nov 1934 Stenhousemuir; Feb 1935 Sligo Rovers; cs 1935 Distillery; Jan 1936 CITY; Aug 1937 Racing Club de Calais; Nov 1938 Shamrock Rovers.
City debut v Nottingham Forest (A) 30.1.1936

Born in the same Scottish town as Adam Black, centre-forward Owen was certainly possessed of rather more wanderlust than his eminently
settled City predecessor. A frustrated reserve to record scorer Jimmy McGrory at Celtic (totalling but a dozen League games and a trio of
goals for the Bhoys), he clearly determined to make his own mark in the game’s annals, and grasped his first opportunity of a loan out to
Second Division Arthurlie somewhat greedily. In only his seventh start, he notched eight goals in a 10-0 win over Armadale in October 1927, and finished that term with 30 successes in 30 games. Then, on his Celtic release, he started collecting clubs and countries in almost equal
proportion. The trek from Scotland through Ireland, Wales and Switzerland (under the coaching of the legendary Jimmy Hogan) might have
satisfied many a footballing mercenary, but the 5ft 7in Owen maintained his rolling-stone status for some years yet; playing again on both
sides of the Irish border, and gathering the significant ‘moss’ of a scoring performance for the Irish League at Blackpool in September 1935, on the first occasion that representative side had conquered the Football League since the series of regular meetings started in 1894. Shortly thereafter, signing for £1,000, Owen had a spirited bash at solving City’s centre-forward problem, at that time being wrestled with by converted centre-half Fred Sharman, but soon to be comprehensively resolved by the advent of Jack Bowers. Accordingly, nothing daunted, Owen simply got out his passport once again... He closed his career as the 14-goal leading scorer for League of Ireland champions Shamrock in 1938/9.
LCFC Apps: FL 16; FAC 1. Goals: FL 7; FAC 1.

Hope it's of interest. If you're able to provide a more detailed date of demise, I'd much appreciate it.

Cheers,

PT

[catecasey]

Hi PT

Thanks for all the information - fantastic.
Will spend the weekend on the phone to my dad - he knew Owen very well, I will get all the details I can for you
The medal I have of his was from the 'SW & Mon FA' 1931-1932. Looking at his playing history I am now wondering if this is the South Wales & Monmouth FA ? - if that exists ?

Speak soon
C

[leicester]

Thanks, Cate

There was indeed a South Wales & Monmouthshire Football Association (from 1893 until a 1968 restructuring). They did run a local Senior Cup; but it would be Cardiff City's reserve team who would have competed for it (and I have no record of the competition's winners over the years). This fits, though, as Owen had one of his most luckless seasons in front of goal while with Cardiff [he failed to score at all at senior level in Division Three (South), the FA Cup or the Welsh Cup; and played out much of that term at second-team level].

All the best

PT