Harry Johnston (footballer, born 1949) facts for kids

Harry Grant Forsyth Johnston, born on December 24, 1949, is a Scottish athlete who played both football and cricket. He was a midfielder in football, playing for teams like Montrose and Partick Thistle. He also played first-class cricket for Scotland.

Harry Johnston: A Scottish Sports Star

Harry Johnston was born in Orkney, Scotland, and grew up in Aberdeen. He started his football journey with a local youth club called Lewis United. From there, he joined Montrose, a semi-professional team.

Early Football Days at Montrose

Johnston joined Montrose in 1970. He quickly became an important player for the team. Montrose started to get much better during this time. They won the Forfarshire Cup in 1972–73.

In the 1974–75 season, Montrose finished 3rd in their league. This was their best finish ever at that time. The league system was changing, and finishing high up meant they moved into a new, stronger 'First Division'. Montrose also had an amazing 15-match unbeaten run in the league. They even won a game 12–0 in the 1974–75 Scottish Cup, which was a club record!

The next year, 1975–76, was even more successful. Montrose finished 3rd again, even though they were playing against tougher teams. They reached the quarter-finals of the 1975–76 Scottish Cup. They also made it to the semi-finals of the 1975–76 Scottish League Cup. They played against Rangers, one of Scotland's biggest clubs, at Hampden Park.

Playing in the Top League: Partick Thistle

Harry Johnston's great performances for Montrose caught the eye of bigger clubs. In 1976, he joined Partick Thistle. This team had just been promoted to the Premier Division, which was the top football league in Scotland.

Johnston played 14 league games for Partick Thistle. The team finished 5th in the 1976–77 Scottish Premier Division. He played alongside famous Scottish players like Alan Hansen and Alan Rough. He even scored two of his three goals for Partick Thistle against Rangers. After a short time, he went on loan to Brechin City before returning to Montrose.

Back to Montrose and Beyond

In 1979, Harry Johnston returned to Montrose for another three seasons. After that, he played for Stenhousemuir for two years. He played over 120 more league games for these two clubs.

Later, in his mid-30s, he played for Thorniewood United before retiring from professional football. In 2004, Harry Johnston was honored by Montrose and became a member of their Hall of Fame.

Harry Johnston's Cricket Journey

Besides football, Harry Johnston was also a very good cricketer. He played for local clubs like Aberdeenshire and Uddingston. He was skilled at both bowling (throwing the ball to try and get batters out) and batting (hitting the ball).

He was chosen to play for the Scotland national team. He played two first-class cricket matches against Ireland, one in 1975 and another in 1981. First-class cricket matches are the longest form of the game, usually lasting several days.

Johnston also played in 17 List A matches for Scotland. These are shorter, one-day matches. He played in the Benson & Hedges Cup and the NatWest Bank Trophy. He likely would have played even more cricket if he hadn't focused so much on his football career between 1976 and 1979.

Life Off the Field

Harry Johnston became a secondary school PE teacher. He was already teaching when his football career became more well-known. He taught for many years at Stonelaw High School in Rutherglen. While he didn't coach the school's football team, he was involved in coaching youth cricket.

See also

• List of Scottish cricket and football players