David McCulloch

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Personal information
David McCulloch
Date of birth	October 5, 1911(1911-10-05)
Place of birth	Hamilton, Scotland
Date of death	1979
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Striker
Youth clubs
	Hamilton Amateurs Shotts United
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1932-1934 1934-1935 1935-1938 1938-1946 1946-1947 1947-1949 1949-1951	Third Lanark Hearts Brentford Derby County Leicester City Bath City Waterford	57 (54) 117 (85) 31 (16) 4 (2)
National team²
1934-1938	Scotland	07 0(3)
Teams managed
1951-1952	Alloa Athletic
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:26, 20 June 2007 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 00:26, 20 June 2007 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

David McCulloch (born 5 October 1911 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, died 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played for several Scottish and English clubs in the 1930s, most notably Heart of Midlothian, Brentford, Derby County. He also represented Scotland at full international level.

[edit] Biography

McCulloch, a striker, began his senior career with Third Lanark, whom he joined from junior side Shotts United in 1932. After two years at Cathkin Park, he was signed by Hearts for £530, moving east at the same time as his Thirds team-mate John MacKenzie.^[1] His first season at Tynecastle was notable, as he scored 38 times (at an average of a goal per game) to top the First Division scoring charts. Such a goal-scoring ratio helped Hearts to both a third-place finish and increased attendances, although Double-winners Rangers proved too strong in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.^[2] However. costs incurred by work to improve Tynecastle's facilities and capacity were proving a financial millstone and in November 1935, the Hearts board indicated that certain players were available for transfer. McCulloch was by this stage one of five Scotland players on the club's books, having made his debut against Wales a year earlier, and an obvious transfer target. After numerous expressions of interest from English clubs, McCulloch and international team-mate Alex Massie were sold to offset the debt,^[1] McCulloch joining London side Brentford for £6,000.

McCulloch continued his prodigious scoring rate with the Bees and by the end of the 1938-39 season he had scored total of 178 goals from 234 league (English and Scottish) games.^[3] He also remained a Scotland regular, earning a further 6 caps during which he scored 3 goals, including 2 against Czechoslovakia in December 1937.

McCulloch was transferred to Derby County for £9,500 in October 1938 but his time with his new club was disrupted by the Second World War, which began while he was at the peak of his abilities and curtailed his international career. During the conflict he "guested" for no less than six clubs, military demands ensuring footballers such as him were seldom resident in one location for an extended period of time. McCulloch's temporary sides were: Falkirk, Brentford, Aldershot, Chelsea, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and Swansea Town.^[3] At the war's conclusion he signed for Derby's rivals Leicester City before finishing his career with non-league Bath City and Irish side Waterford.

While with Waterford McCulloch assisted with coaching and in 1951 he returned to Scotland as manager of Alloa Athletic, a position he held for one season.^[3]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Speed, David; Smith, Bill, Blackwood, Graham (1984). Heart of Midlothian Football Club: A Pictorial History 1874-1984. Heart of Midlothian F.C. plc. (ISBN 0-9510124-1-X).
^ Hearts average attendance rose by over 4,000 in 1934-35 and the following season they became the most popular club in Scotland in terms of paying spectators (Ross, David (2005). The Roar of the Crowd: Following Scottish football down the years. Argyll publishing, 85-108. ISBN 9-8781902-831831.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who’s Who, 1872-1986 (Hardback), Hutton Press. (ISBN 0-907033-47-4).